More Than a Feeling
by Meridias
Summary: Sequel to "Sam. Where's my Car"   Dean hasn't seen Sam in months. Dean and Jo are now hunting partners. In their search for the source of Dean's death omen they run into a powerful witch that switches their bodies! Tune in! Dean/Jo. Read and Review!
1. Electricity

**Now**

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"Could you handle it like it was your own? It's not supposed to stretch that way" Dean said, curbing his pain into a single wince.

"That's what she said..." Jo threw back, smiling to herself. "Quit being such a baby. Just one more… there!"

"Sonovabitch!" Dean yelled out. He looked down at the small bleeding holes all along his abdomen and tried to rub the pain away.. Jo dropped the last quill into a pile of about twenty others and then threw some tweezers into her duffle. "Ever think about getting a purse?" he smirked, proud of his own cleverness.

"Ever think about manning up?" She retorted. Jo stood up, taking the bloody quills and rags over to the trash can. Dean watched the girl closely with his eyes, measuring her up a few times.

"Hey, I'm not the one who failed to mention the Chupacabra would be covered in a bunch of spines." Dean challenged in his confident tone.

"Well" Jo started crouching over his naked stomach. She was now carrying a roll of bandages. "I'm sorry I couldn't gather all the information you needed on this very rare," she widened her eyes to belittle him, "very, very rare creature. Hey! At least we got him though right Deano?"

"Hey. Quit it with the sarcasm. If I wasn't there to bail you out you'd be the one looking like Sonic the Hedgehog" Dean explained staring down his chest at her. "Although you think that book would care to mention all those spines. Kind of a key feature." He trailed.

"You'd think." She said mockingly. Dean just grinned at their back and forth.

"What's the damage?"

"I think you're going to be fine." Jo said, "Could you just lift yourself up for a second?" Dean arched his back up as Jo applied the bandage. She brought it along his stomach and under his back while turning her face towards his. Her hair gently washed over his soft skin and he felt slightly uncomfortable. Jo smiled at him with her innocent face. She continued to wrap up his wound tightly. Dean had familiar feelings creeping back for Jo. They couldn't take their eyes off each other.

They had just finished hunting down a Chupacabra that got out of Bobby's possession. He didn't even want to know why Bobby needed a Chupacabra, but whatever. They had to kill it in the end though. Would have been nice to know that its spines ejected out upon death. Now he and Jo were down in Bobby's safe room and he was lying down on a cot. The vrum of the ceiling fan could be heard every few moments, but it was going too slow now. Dean's heart started thudding as Jo looked at him. Was he falling for Jo? She was hardly his type, and besides he didn't want to hurt her.

"So Dean.." she trailed. Her hands were quivering a bit above his glossy skin. Hey eyes danced back and forth between his. Her feet moved about a bit nervously. That wasn't like her; she was used to men being attracted to her, she shouldn't be nervous. Then again, this felt different to Dean as well.

"So, Jo." Dean whispered. His deep voice breathed out and seemed to hit her because she blushed a bit. He began to sit up, but groaned in pain as his abs tightened and his innards ached. Jo helped him to not fall back down. He gasped, but brought his face up to hers. Her long eyelashes seemed to freeze him. Was this still the young girl he met in the roadhouse? He leaned in ever so slightly and she closed her eyes. He watched her full lips quiver and her two front teeth show a bit as she breathed in. He brought his mouth towards hers and put his big hand on her small shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked at his fingers, her gaze suspended on his silver ring.

"Hey." He said as softly as was possible for him. She looked back nervously, looking teary. "Is it your Mom?" he asked. She just nodded shakily, her forehead creasing with grief. He brought his face in closer until he could feel her shaking. He nibbled down on her upper lip and began to bring his body in closer. He felt her tremble and grab around his shoulders. Was this right?

"Hey you two—" Bobby began to say walking into the room. Jo and Dean quickly separated and sat down looking awkwardly towards Bobby. Trying to ignore the obvious, Jo greeted him.

"Just patching Dean up." She said. Dean smiled holding his stomach with one hand and gave thumbs up with the other.

"We're all good here." Dean said slowly and disappointedly. He licked his lips, savoring the taste of Jo's that still lingered. Bobby looked at him probingly, "Now, who wants pie!" Dean added, grinning widely and slapping his knee.

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What did you guys think? Read and Review. -WaxWarrior


	2. Reflections

The rain came down like a torrent. Down, down, down through the black sky and past the yellow moon. It splashed onto the asphalt and gathered in puddles on the edges of the two sided, lonely road. Dean felt empty these days, but he hated to admit it to himself. That was always a problem of his. Not admitting when something was wrong. The dark, beautiful figure of a classic car ran idly, at his side. He leaned against it utterly soaked; his face turned down and beads of warm rain dripping from his nose and lips. The car purred patiently as he thought.

He didn't care at the moment that he was wearing his favorite leather jacket in the rain, or even that Jo didn't know where he was. He just needed to think. Boy, if only Sammy was here was all he could think. _Sammy_. The name funneled memories in his head. He hadn't seen or heard from his brother in months. Why hadn't he called? I guess Dean hadn't called either. Bitterness crept over him and then shame. He should be with Sam, protecting him. That was his job. Dean thought back to the last time he saw Sam and how they had a falling out. He rubbed his right knuckle with his left hand, thinking back to how he had punched Sam. The things Sam has said to him still sat in his stomach badly.

"_I don't know you at all Dean! So don't pride yourself for a second if you thought your brother cared!"_

Maybe he was right to leave Sam. He was a grown, well, overgrown man now. He and Sam were just different these days. His chin sank more limply into his chest and the rain became heavy on him. The Impala's headlights beamed out into the unknown, where tons of water flecks poured down like a grainy film. He watched them for awhile and felt a little better. He didn't know how to respond to his ordeal with Sam at the moment. To top it off there was also the situation with Jo.

After all that stuff happened with the Doppelganger they had a moment where they kissed. It wasn't an accident or misunderstanding this time, but the real thing. He thought back to that moment and how good he had felt for that couple seconds. He felt so bad for breaking her heart the next day. She seemed to take it well when he told her it was a mistake, but he knew it was hurting her. She had been with that imposter of him for a while and in a way had known Dean very closely. He shuddered, rolling his strong shoulders and shaking his hair out a bit. He ran a couple of strong fingers down his face and flicked off a slab of water.

Dean and Jo had become quite the team, but things became very tense, very quickly, very often. He laughed to himself a bit. Just today even he had almost fallen into another moment when Bobby had come in. He settled his hand on his stomach, feeling the thick bandages under his shirt. Images of curly blonde hair and brave brown eyes shot through his mind. Pink lips started whirling in his thoughts. He shook his head viciously as if to actually get rid of the though through force. "Come on Dean. Get your head straight." He said to himself. With a few steps he found himself in the Impala. He slipped off his leather car coat and tossed it in the back next to his shredded clothes from earlier.

He was alone, at least for a while. No one else had driven on this road for at least half an hour. One thing was for sure though, he needed some tunes. He randomly snatched out a tape from his collection and stuffed it in the cassette player. Led Zeppelin's "_Ramblin on_" started playing. His favorite. A small smile formed on the corner of his mouth as he lightly pumped the gas. The car slid across the wet road gracefully and he took every turn with a spot of professionalism. Things were looking up.

Dean had been enjoying driving around for awhile when his phone rang. He grabbed his cell phone out and glanced at it. The name "Jo" was on it. He decided he should probably not make her worry. He answered the phone. "Yeah?"

"Dean! Why haven't you been answering your phone? I was so worried." Jo said, seemingly genuine.

"Yeah, I, uh, just needed some me time you know. All that.."

"No I don't know, I've never seen this side of you. You alright?" Jo asked.

"I'm fine. I'll head back to Bobby's now, alright?"

"Great. I'll pick up some dinner, and I got a case to talk about anyways."

"Perfect. I could use some damned monster to blow some steam off on." Dean said smirking. He could imagine Jo was smiling in agreement. "Be right there." Dean hung up the phone and put it in his pocket. He let out a deep sigh. He had hoped that for just one second during this outing he could have stopped thinking about that kiss. Who was he fooling?


	3. More than a feeling

**Hey guys. Enclosed in the scene in my first try at a love making scene. Not *sex*. teehee ;) Just tender kissing and second base.**

**read and review!**

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Dean jogged the distance between his car and Bobby's front door. Rain was bucketing down still. He got under the overhang of the porch and approached the door. He reached for the handle, but stopped suddenly. He put his ear to the door and turned his head down. "I just don't get it Bobby." He heard Jo say.

"Well whatever you are trying to get through the boys head, it ain't workin'. Believe me I've tried to get through to him on things; it's like trying to give a crack addict money for food." Bobby said in his deep, powerful voice. There was a long silence after that. Dean shifted nervously. "I'm sorry Jo. That kid's been through a lot. If it's any consolation though, he's bein' an idget not giving it a chance."

"It's okay.." she said quietly. Dean could barely hear it. "He's probably right. There are too many reasons not to. We never had the right place, right time thing going for us." She said sluggishly. "Anyways, that's what's going on with me." Jo said sounding more chip. Dean knew she was faking though. He lied professionally and he knew lying tones. "What's been going on with you—" she started to say. Dean's heavy boot had creaked a floorboard. "Dean?" Jo asked. "You out there?"

"Damnit." Dean cursed at himself. He had to think quickly. He bounded off the porch into the mud and ran to sit in the Impala. He closed the door as quietly as possible, right as Jo and Bobby appeared in the doorway. They waved to him as he got out of the car again. He jogged up to them and they beckoned him inside. A toasty warmth and smell of burgers overtook him. He sniffed a few times at the smell. His mouth watered.

Jo smiled proudly, "Yeah I picked up some food while you were out. Cheeseburgers." She said walking away. Dean took a long look at her butt as she strolled away. She had her hands tucked away in the rear pockets as she sauntered proudly. Bobby hit him in the chest with a light slap. He snapped back into reality. He murmured thanks under his breath and Bobby shook his head light heartedly. Right, he had to remember that. Reality isn't the same thing as porn.

"Boy you sure know what I like." He said walking around her to the dining room table. There was a plump bag of fast food set on it and a couple of beers sitting on ice in an open cooler. He chuckled a bit, nodding his head back and forth lightly. His eyes met hers. "Wow, you really know what I like!" He exclaimed. She smiled motioning for him to get some food. "This night just can't get any better." He said happily reaching into the bag with a cheeky, scrunched smile.

"Now hold on just a second. You're tracking crap all into the house and you're soaked." Bobby yelled. Dean looked down at himself. Right. Jo grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him towards the bathroom, but not before he could snatch a beer.

"Come on. We got to get you cleaned up she laughed.

"You can clean me any night of the—"he started to say, but then withheld himself. He needed to stop being so flirty with Jo. She smiled flirtatiously.

"Right…" she said, looking away. He could imagine her smiling. He looked down at her. She was wearing her usual black tank top, but with her pink pajama bottoms. With that really tight fitting, super soft fabric. You know the ones. The outfit was a little mismatching, but really cute he thought. He wrenched open the bottle with a manly twist and started in on the bottle. He let out a quenched breath and continued to follow her.

"So what's the deal with you showing me to the bathroom? I know the way." Dean said as they got in the bathroom. "You going to have a beer? Maybe a cup of Jo?" He mock laughed himself acknowledging the bad joke. She just looked at him like an animal and shut the door to the small room. Her eyes flared and she started in. She slammed him up against the wall and started to run her hands all along his chest. Her lips came down on his and he froze stiff. His arms came up to stop her, but as she continued to kiss him they fell back down. All his previous arguments couldn't stop him now. He felt his hands begin to run through her hair and he began to kiss her back. They moved off the wall into the middle of the room and his hands started to explore her body. She looked lost in him, and he felt overcome. He slid his hands down her thin, toned arms, and then moved one hand to massage her smooth stomach, just under her breasts. She let out a soft sigh. He kissed her harder and this time it was him pressing her against the wall. He lifted her pressed up to it, picking her up from under the thighs; the soft pick pajama pants clenched between his fingers. "Oh, Jo." He found himself saying. His hands moved under her bottom and she grabbed around his strong arms. Rain water and mud were all over both of them now. A surge of excitement overtook him and he dropped her down. She began to take his shirt off, so he started to help. _Soft arms, full legs, golden hair, pink lips._

_ "_Oh, _Dee_!" she moaned. That was the name she used for the doppelganger. He stopped abruptly, pulling his shirt back down. She looked at him with concern and yearning. "What is it?" she asked, putting her hand on his chest. He looked at her cute fingers resting there.

"I can't. This isn't right." Dean said, stepping back. "You're like my little sister," He lied, "and you're just holding onto what you had with," he paused for a moment. "That monster." He spit out. She looked down sadly, and he looked away full of shame. His eyes caught the bathroom mirror. He could see himself and how torn he was. He wanted Jo, but he wanted her to want him and not that thing. The doppelganger's familiar form watched him from the mirror. It looked at him with sarcastic sadness pretending to wipe tears away with an invisible handkerchief. Why wouldn't that thing just leave him alone? Besides if he was going to die soon, it wasn't fair to give anything to Jo.

"Why not me, Dean? You get with girls all the time. What makes me different? Is it because I'm a kid? Huh? Is that it? I'm not! I'm a hunter! Haven't I proven that to you in the last few months?" Jo was livid, and on the verge of tears.

"O..of course." He managed. Her teary eyes looked deep into his.

"Then, why not me?" she said. Dean tried to wrap his mind around it all. A pang of regret shot through him that things had gotten this far. He looked right at her, his face in a deep frown.

"You're not like those late night hookups, or even like other girls I actually truly liked." He began, "You're special. I wish I could say how it feels every time I see you, or how awesome it is that we're friends…" he trailed. Jo was covering her eyes now, her face red. "You're different Jo. Despite all things that have ever been between us, you know, preventing us from being together, I still wish.." Dean stopped, taking in a breath. "Despite all that's stopping me right now from being with you, I still really care. That's the difference." He whispered the last part. They just stood there for a moment in silence.

"W..w..what's the difference?" she stuttered.

"I care for you," He said. "And that's why we can't be together.

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**What do you guys think?**


	4. Desperate House Grooms

Jo hadn't said much to Dean lately. Not since that situation at Bobby's house. He and Jo were sitting in the Impala, making their way to a hunt. She looked less than happy. After a tough bunch of traveling they were finally there. "Detroit Rock City!" he bellowed. " I'll tell you what we need to do," he said looking at Jo, but she kept watching the road. "We need to get our party on!" he said rocking his head a little and grinning. "Oh? Is that Canada I see? Awesome.."

"We have a case to work Dean." She finally said.

"Hey, you don't have to impress me." Dean replied turning towards the girl. She glanced a bit at him, anger in her eyes.

"I'm not trying to impress you Dean. I'm here to save people, not go on a vacation. This is serious. Oh, and for the record, any girl trying to impress you is pretty low in my book." She said all this with a pinch of bitterness and the last part with possible regret.

"I seem to recall you trying to impress me back at Bobby's." Dean said, speaking more seriously. He heard Jo scoff and then they were in silence. Wow Dean, always have the wrong thing to say. He idly scratched at his five o'clock shadow. After awhile he spoke again, "So, tell me again what we know." Jo slowly moved for her side bag. She pulled out a few internet articles she had printed out days before.

"Okay, we don't know much, but here it is. There have been a number of married couples who have claimed to... erm... have switched bodies." She said. Dean laughed at that.

"Seriously? Like Freaky Friday?" Dean asked.

"Yes, Dean. Like Freaky Friday."

"Nice." Dean looked out along the great lake thinking for a while. "Maybe I'll get to meet Jamie Lee Curtis." He grimaced. Jo smiled a bit out of the corner of his eye. "So what are you thinking? Demon, Spirit?"

"No way of knowing yet. We need to get more information." Jo said.

"So, what's the plan?" Dean asked. Jo just looked over at him and smiled.

The Impala pulled onto the side of the street. Dean put it in park and looked out along the area. They were in a quaint, pretty neighborhood. Bright colors shot out at him and many cookie cutter houses. "When I was excited to go to Detroit I didn't mean this. I feel like we've been smacked into 1984." He sighed.

"Wow Dean. That was a very Sammy comment; I didn't know you could read." Jo laughed. Hearing Sammy's name made him twitch a bit.

"Hey I've read books…." He said quickly. He had heard Sam use that same line that he just had. Admittedly he wanted to impress Jo. "Alright, let's do this." He said. The two of them got out of the car and he walked over to her side. They stared down the driveway. A pale yellow house looked back. It was huge and very Mr. Rogers. Dean sighed a bit looking down at himself. He was wearing a pair of slacks, dress shoes, a sweater vest, and he even had a tie nestled in there. Jo's idea of course. He slicked his hair back to the side and ran his fingers over his freshly shaven face. This sucked on ice. Jo laughed at him.

"Come on. Just get over it. We got to look legit." She said. Jo was wearing a Knee length polka dot dress and red slip ons. Her face was plastered with blush, and eyeliner. Her hair was all done up nice and she had a purse slung over her shoulder. He had to laugh at it even though she looked kind of kinky.

"Hey, as long as I don't look as ridiculous as you, I think I'm okay." He laughed.

"Can we just get going already?" she asked looking a little displeased. Dean looked at her as she stood there with her arm out. "Honey?"

"Oh. Uhm, right." Dean hooked his arm around hers as they walked up to the door. He tried to act as casual as possible despite the awkwardness he felt. They passed through a manicured garden and up freshly painted steps until they got to the front door. Jo lifted up a plate of brownies she had made beforehand. Dean gave the front door a couple of knocks. After a few seconds it swung open. The first thing he noticed was that the 'housewife' in the doorway was wearing slacks and a polo shirt, the second thing was that in opposition to the outside of the house, the inside was trashed. Dean eyed her up and down before putting on a plastic smile. "Is it Halloween already?" he asked sarcastically. Jo elbowed him in the stomach. "I mean, uhm, hi! We're your new neighbors! I'm Reginald, and this is my wife Phyllis."

"Phyllis?" Jo blurted out, "Yes. That's my name…" she recovered. Jo just gave a smile to the lady in the doorway.

"I'm Alfred, I mean- Annette Farnsworth. Alfred is my husband." The woman said nervously. Jo handed her the brownies and she smiled. "Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful, but aren't we supposed to be the ones giving you brownies."

Dean lifted his finger up, "Normally, but I think we all know it's been a backward sort of week. Don't you think?" he ended it with a wink. Annette just nodded in agreement.

"You're home is so lovely. Think we could come in and see the rest?" Jo asked, rubbing up on Dean in a cute way. "Reginald just loves beautiful houses. Don't you Babe." She said poking his nose playfully.

"Oh yes. They're… astounding." Dean managed, slowly and casually trying to pry Jo off of him.

Annette looked at both of them nervously, "Well, my husband isn't actually home, so maybe another time." Just then a deep yell echoed throughout the house and a stark naked man appeared thrashing all about. He was head to toe with hair and fat rolled off him like nobody's business.

"Alfred! I'm tired of this beard! I could just scratch it off! I just want to be me again!" the man cried out. As soon as he noticed Jo and Dean he lazily put a hand over his crotch. "What do you want?"

"Howdy neighbor!" Dean said with a huge grin. This was hilarious. Jo looked away, but chorused him in the greeting. Dean gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Can we come see your lovely home!" Dean asked with a cheesy smile, clearly overacting.

"I don't care what you do. I'm just a girl in a sasquatch's body." The man muttered, walking away. Dean watched the naked man sadly walk away and couldn't help but laugh at the guys rear end. Jo gagged a bit. Annette walked after him screaming at the top her lungs and thrashing her arms.

"Well this has been enlightening." Jo said holding a hand over her mouth.

"I'll say. Something weird is definitely going on." Dean smiled, peering into the doorway and seeing the inside. There were broken objects thrown all about the house and trash everywhere. "You know they almost deserve it in a poetic justice sort of way." He said, walking back to the car with Jo.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, all I'm saying is they didn't seem to get along very well. Maybe this is what they need."

"Whatever you say." Jo retorted. They both got in the car. "So what do you think?"

"Well. It's freaky." Dean said smiling.

"But it's Thursday." Jo shot back.

"Thanks for ruining my reference." Dean said bitterly.


	5. The two people he loved most

The music reverberated through his bones as it pulsed through his headphones. That wasn't the only thing though. This motel had magic fingers. He was starting to like this hunt after all. He stretched out a bit as the magic fingers titillated him. He started air drumming with his hands. His smirk faded though when he looked at the second twin bed which was unoccupied. He thought of Sam and how every time he did a hunt he missed him. He wished things were going better with Jo. If only she could be okay with the two of them as just partners. His thoughts settled on her for a time. His heart raced faster and faster, steadily quickening as he thought of both of them together. "Damnit." He heard himself breathe, although the music muffled it. "This isn't like me to get all caught up on a girl."

The door opened and Jo came in looking upset. She was wearing her normal clothes again, but was sporting a jacket. She started speaking soundlessly. "They got magic fingers!" he gave her thumbs up excitedly and gestured to the other bed. She continued to speak faster. "What?" he pulled out the headphones.

"Really? More with the magic fingers? Have you done any research at all?" He thought her face looked so cute when she was angry with him. "Dean!"

"Oh. Sorry. Uhm, I was going to, but well." He pointed down at the bed. "Magic fingers!" He said raising his hands and wiggling his fingers. His face sported a happy smile.

She shook her head, "Well, you're lucky one of us is professional. I found out a lot." Jo walked over to the other bed and brushed a pile of dirty clothes onto the floor. "Nice" she commented. "So glad we sleep in different rooms."

"Hey, it's more money we gotta hustle, no argument here." He replied, "Whaddya got?"

"Well I talked to the other couples who were switched and it's all a similar story. Apparently they just up and transformed into each other." Jo stated. Dean motioned for her to go on, looking interested. "Yeah, none of them wanted to go into details. They just said it was blindingly painful."

"Do they know why it happened?" Dean inquired. He started pacing around the room.

"No. One couple said it was after they kissed though. The others had no idea." Jo said.

"Well it looks like I'm going to have to skip out on hooking up in Detroit after all." He said sighing. She shook her head at him.

"Does it ever get old for you? Being so shallow."

"No, it's safe, cozy and uncomplicated. Any other questions."

She shifted a bit, "Want to talk about it?" she asked shrugging.

"How about no." he said, "Got anything else?"

She shook her head for the millionth time. "Okay. Well I found out one thing all the couples had in common. Relationship issues."

Dean stared at her for a moment, his gaze drilling intently into face. "Wait, that's your genius information Einstein? So what? Everyone has relationship issues." He just chuckled.

"Of course not. What I'm saying is they all went to the same marriage counselor." She said. "It's called 'Tie the knot'." She looked at him for approval, her face was confident.

"Yeah okay, sorry." He said sheepishly. "So let's check it out then." He suggested. She nodded in agreement. He got up and began to get his things together. He finally threw his coat on and headed for the door. She followed close behind him. He let out a quiet laugh.

"What?"

"Oh it's just, I don't know marriage." Dean said. They both went through the door and went down out to the car. A cold chill swept over them when they left the motel room. "It's not something that could ever really work for people like us, you know?" Dean started up the car and started driving to the counseling office. Jo didn't say anything for awhile, she just looked thoughtful.

"We both had hunters for parents." She said looking at him.

He smiled slightly, "Yeah, and look how that turned out." Dean strained his face not to look at Jo. He just watched the road. He could slightly see the doppelganger in the windshield. He was wagging his finger back and forth as if to say 'naughty'.

"My parents loved each other," Jo began to say. "and so did yours…"

"Yeah, I know," Dean responded. He felt angry in his belly. "and now we're cursed to be hunters just like them." Dean put in a cassette tape and started letting the music drown out the conversation. After awhile Jo stopped it. He just looked at her. "We're about to have a talk aren't we?" he wondered out loud. She looked very serious.

"We're part of our parent's legacy. They're all dead, but people are still being saved because of us. We don't have to do this Dean. You do it out of revenge, and I do it so I can feel close to my father."

Dean just grimaced. "Jo, I don't know if you have noticed, but it always ends bloody for people like us. Sure, I'd love to have a family, but I don't want to leave them feeling sad without me which quite inevitably, will happen."

Jo just looked at him with her mouth agape. "What about love Dean? Should that be ignored? If I loved someone I would try to be with them even if I knew things were going to get rough. You of all people should know that's what family is for." Her words struck Dean really deep. Thoughts went through his mind. Images of him and his brother hunting and then images of him and Jo together at a wedding. They were the bride and groom. He just stared more intently on the road and turned the music back on. Then there was bitter silence between both of them.


	6. Counseling

The Impala skidded to a stop after whipping around a corner. Dean swung it perfectly into a parking position and hit the brake. They had arrived at their destination. Dean gave the dash a good pat, "I love you baby." He whispered to the car.

"What was that?" Jo asked looking over quickly.

"Nothing." He responded. "I didn't say anything." They both got out of the car and met at the trunk. Dean slipped in the key and opened the trunk. The wide lid stopped above his head as he peered in. He grabbed a shotgun and wedged it in the space to prop the compartment open. Dean let out a sigh. Ever since Jo had been hunting with him there had been some revamping. Basically it looked very neat and organized. His arsenal looked like a silverware drawer now. Every gun, blade, sigil, crucifix, amulet, condiment and book had its own cut out area where it could fit snugly in a foamy bed. They even had labels. There were labels for his stuff and Jo's. Although some of his stuff had been left back at Bobby's because there wasn't enough room. Slowly, but surely, more stuff was being left there. He made a quick scan throughout the trunk suspecting she dumped something on their last, recent visit to Bobby's.

"Hey. Where's my MGL-140?" he blurted, suddenly raged.

"You're what?" Jo asked looking perplexed. She was bent down, sheathing a knife in her boot.

"My grenade launcher!" Dean exclaimed. "What you think I wouldn't notice that of all things was missing?" he said skeptically.

"I don't know what you mean..." Jo said lightly. "Fine. I do, but honestly Dean, no way you have ever used that." She complained. Dean rolled his shoulders, then he grabbed out his Colt 1911. He pulled out a clip and tapped it against the gun as he always did. He slipped it in and pulled back the slide. Dean looked up at Jo with minor annoyance.

"No." he admitted. "But I've had that thing in my trunk since ballerinas started wearing tutus and I swear to you, one day I'm going to need it." Jo just laughed at him.

"Well, I'm sorry. I'm sure we won't need it on this particular hunt though if that makes you feel better." She said giving him a wink.

"Yeah, it makes me feel solid." He said sarcastically. "Just let me know when you take stuff out of my trunk alright?" Jo nodded apologetically. "Alright you ready?" Dean asked. He slipped his gun in the back of his pants and straightened out his jacket. He was glad that he convinced her they didn't need outfits this time around. He never wanted to wear that blue collar crap again. They were however going in as a married couple again. She had set an appointment up for them with the counselor. They were going to see what the skinny on this place was. Something had to be going on.

Jo nodded to Dean and he locked up the Impala. They walked towards the small, single floor building. It was a brick structure with little maintenance work and a deteriorating appearance. As they came up to the doorway they noticed a sign hanging up. It read "Tie the knot" and under that there was a slogan: "Your marriage ineffective, try a new perspective!" Dean and Jo exchanged looks of suspicion. "No way they just came out and gave it away." Dean said. "This has gotta be the most straight shot clue I've ever seen." Dean laughed. "You think?"

Jo looked at the sign with surprise. "Well," she looked lost. "Let's go inside and, uhm, try to find out more." She choked out. They both were utterly confused. "Alright. Come on Reginald." She laughed.

"We can have new names this time if you want. You choose this time." Dean said. She smiled at him, twirling her hair for a moment, but then stopped and went inside. Dean followed suit. The interior of the building was an olive drab color. It looked like they painted the place with green bean paste. The lobby was super small and cramped. The two of them walked up to the front desk where a pretty young woman was sitting filing some paperwork. "Hey there." Dean voiced, his voice purring. He gave the girl a wink as he leaned against the desk slyly. She gave him an amorous look, but quickly shook some sense into herself. She darted her eyes at Jo and then back at him.

"Can I help you two?" the girls asked. A plaque on her desk said, "Patty".

"Yes Patty. We have an appointment with Mr. Hope." Jo told her. Dean was already getting bored. He noticed some complimentary tootsie pops sitting in an old coffee cup. He lifted his finger up to ask. Patty just nodded. He grabbed one for him and Jo.

Patty started flipping through a manila folder. After a few seconds she produced a fresh looking piece of paper. "Oh. You're the new couple. Ackles, right? I should have recognized your voice from earlier. Sorry. I'll go get the doctor now. Could you fill out these forms while I get him?" Patty handed them both a two sided questionnaire for new customers. Jo nodded her head and Dean let out an obvious sigh.

"Alright, Patty, but you let the good doctor know that I'm really looking forward to his work!" Dean exclaimed. He gestured over to Jo, "This one here. Worst mistake of my life." He said looking fumed. Patty let out a shy nod and then walked quickly out of the room. Dean chuckled to the flustered Jo and handed her a tootsie pop, after slipping one in his mouth. "Mmm. Chocolate." He said grinning.

"No thanks." She said plopping down to fill out the form. Dean shrugged and sat down a few seats away. "Why are you sitting over there." She asked him.

"Remember? I don't like you. We have marriage issues?" Dean replied. Jo muttered a 'whatever' looking annoyed. "So what are our names?" he inquired.

"I'm Alona and you're my husband Jensen Ackles." Jo said looking smug. Dean gave her a puzzled look like he missed the blunt of a joke. "They're my favorite actors." She told him. Dean snickered. He looked down at the form and started laughing again. There were a bunch of checkboxes that listed problems a customer may be experiencing with their spouse. He just checked them all without looking at them. He saw that Jo was filling them out with thought. He reclined backwards closing his eyes.

"Dean, wake up." He heard Jo say.

"Huh?"

"You fell asleep." She said shaking him. He opened his eyes sleepily. Her face was the first thing he saw. "You look so warn out." She said empathetically. He shrugged and stretched.

"Well, thanks." He replied. She went and sat back down, casting a look over at him now and again. He noticed she was eating her tootsie pop now. He pried his own off a molar where a pool of sugar was now pooling. He licked it off with his tongue and stretched his mouth. He smiled briefly. Dean watched Jo for awhile. She was playing with her hair, eating the lollipop, and looking thoughtful. She was in the zone, somewhere off in her own noggin. She was beautiful Dean thought. Not evening hook-up beautiful, or waitress beautiful, but maybe someone he could settle down with. She had all the right looks in all the right ways. There were the dark brown eyes with the honey center, and then the flowing blonde hair. She had the cutest face ever; pale, small features and adorable cheeks. Dean closed his eyes to get it off his mind. His face scrunched in pain. How did he really feel about it all? He opened his eyes again to look back at her. She turned to look at him. He imagined he probably looked petrified with interest by this point. She gave him an embarrassed smile in return.

"What?" she said averting her eyes. "Is there something on my face?" she asked feeling around he mouth.

Dean looked away after a few more moments. A hand mirror was set on the coffee table next to him. The doppelganger looked back at him and it had an unusually foreboding expression. It looked serious for once. "You can't do it to her Dean." It said. "All there is at the end of that road, is pain." It continued. Dean cast a look back at Jo and he could feel his eyes watering.

"Dean..." she said coming over. "Are you alright?" she asked looking worried. She put her hand on his knee.

"No…" he replied sniffing a bit. He looked away before any real tears could gather. He was going to die and he knew it. That ended anything he had for Jo. It was the right thing to do. He saw Patty come back out and call out towards them.

"Ackles. The doctor will see you now." She said. Dean got up first to avoid any confrontation. It was a moment before he heard Jo's reluctant footsteps behind his. They came into a small room with many bookshelves and a large desk in the center. It had sort of a renaissance theme to it. They took their seats opposite of the man who was already sitting there. He was at a desk sitting on a swivel chair. He had partial balding, graying brown hair and a small goatee. He came around towards them and put out a hand to each person in turn.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both, my name is Derek Hope." He commented gripping Jo's hand and then his. Dean nodded in response. "I must say Mr. Ackles that I found your form quite unnerving. You have more issues with your wife than I have ever seen before." The doctor creased his brow sympathetically. "But that's why you're here. The first step to feeling is to scrape off the peeling, am I right?" he said looking confident. Dean and Jo just looked at him full of absolute confusion. "Anyhow, I guess I'll start by asking, how do you feel about your wife, Jensen?" The doctor gave him a serious look and then looked down at some paperwork.

Before he started talking, Dean put his gooey tootsie pop stick on the underside of the counselors desk. Jo scowled, but then followed suit, snickering a bit. The doctor looked back up at them and looked at Jo. "Do you find this funny Alona?" Jo looked stunned.

"Yes…" she said after a second. "and I find it to be very cold in here. Don't you?"

The doctor scoffed, "No. I'm actually sweating. If you ask me we need to get some air conditioning in this old place. More to the matter at hand though Mrs. Ackles, I think we should let your husband speak. You'll have your turn." Jo pretended to be offended.

"Well," Dean began to say. "I'm not sure I have any words for it." He elaborated. "She just makes me feel, conflicted." Dean said putting on a face of sadness. The doctor nodded and scratched at his beard.

"Well then I'll tell you how you feel about her." The doctor stated. Dean and Jo exchanged confused looks.

"You will?" Dean asked uneasily.

"Yes. I've known you for all but a minute and I already understand what's going on. Both of you clearly love each other on an extremely deep level, but somehow you haven't communicated this to each other. There is an unusually powerful amount of tension between you two even for younger couples. Trust me, I've seen them all." He said. Dean and Jo didn't dare look at each other. "Jensen, Alona, I would love to work with you two, but first things first, before we leave here today I want you to say exactly how you feel for your spouse. You both deserve to know. Mr. Ackles, you first." He brought his hand palm to the ceiling to give Dean permission to speak.

Dean didn't know what to do. He was admittedly stunned by what the doctor had said. All he could think to say was the truth. "Well," he began. He wiped some sweat from his forehead. He was beginning to understand what the doctor meant about the air conditioning. "I feel like she's, uhm, pretty much the most amazing girl on the planet…" he choked, his voice gruff and deep. "It's just. There are so many things preventing me from telling her how I feel, and so many reasons I shouldn't. It would be selfish of me to put that on her. We've been working, I mean, married together for awhile now and I just love her so much at this point," he paused not daring to look at Jo who he knew was listening intently. "I just don't ever want to see her hurt." He trailed. The doctor nodded.

"That's such crap…" Jo muttered. Both Dean and Doctor Hope looked over at her. Dean was scared. "It doesn't matter if I get hurt! We're married for a reason. I love you for a reason so why can't you just accept you can't protect everyone from every little thing. Have you ever wondered who's going to protect you? Have you ever fathomed that maybe a little pain is worth it if I get to be with the guy of my dreams? I love you Dean,"

"Jensen." He interjected. She was getting into this acting part he thought.

"Jensen, Dean, Ackles," she recovered. "I love you so much. So, it doesn't matter what's on the horizon as long as we can be together." She said before taking a breath. The doctor clapped.

"Well, see now, that was healthy." Jo and Dean exchanged confused looks. "The first session is always free. My treat. I use it as a short way to see where I'm at and get introduced. Why don't you two go home and just talk it out." He said laughing. Dean and Jo were looking away from each other, both with really red faces. Finally, they both got up and started to leave.

"Say Doc, you smell that sort of, rotten egg smell?" Dean asked, sniffing.

"No." the doctor said taking in a breath. "If you have any problem with my facilities I can talk to Patty about it" he suggested.

"No. Just my imagination." He said. Both he and Jo awkwardly began to leave the room. She looked flustered to say the least.

"Oh and don't forget." The doctor said, "If your marriage is ineffective, try a new perspective!"


	7. Fireflies

It was dark, brooding and rainy. The city seemed as pensive as he was. It was unusually quiet in Detroit; there were just the sounds of rain, and the moving of cars. He was used to thinking to the sound of the Impala's engine. He let it soothe him. He knew something was wrong, hell, they both knew a lot was wrong. She was usually a chatterbox, but recently they didn't talk at all. This night was quickly becoming the tensest yet. The streetlights allowed Dean to very easily see the doppelganger in his mirrors. The thing just stared darts at him and shook its head unrelentlessly. He had come to hate driving at night because he could almost always see the doppelganger looming over the image of the road. "Let's stop here for some food." Jo said pointing out a restaurant. It looked way out of their price range, but he didn't feel like arguing with her. Besides, he was hungry as usual.

He parked the car in front of the place and turned it off. For a whole minute they just sat there in the darkness of the car saying nothing. He cast a smile at Jo trying to seem ignorant of everything that was happening. "Everything alright?" he asked. Jo looked depressed. Her eyes were pointed into her lap and her arms were hanging heavily from her shoulders. She had her back hunched and emotional. She looked at Dean very slowly and then just nodded. He wanted to comfort her, but he knew he was the cause of the grief. They both got out of the car, and both doors shut in sync. Dean and Jo walked into the restaurant single file, he went in after holding the door for her. He shouldn't have though. They both looked awkward for a moment because he had never done that before.

They were welcomed by classy music and a scenic atmosphere. A waiter, clad in a tuxedo approached them. He greeted them and then led them past the normal dining area. They went up to the second floor and were brought to a private table lit up by candles. Dean stopped a second getting a bad feeling, but he slowly sat down giving the waiter thanks. There was a beautiful view of the great lake from where they sat. Dean scoped it out; he had to admit it looked pretty awesome. The city lights danced across it in a flowing motion. They looked like drowning fireflies he thought. "Well," he started, reclining, "I feel a little underdressed. Hope you got this one covered." He said looking at her. She watched him with pursed lips, raising an eyebrow. She then took a tube of deep red lipstick from her pocket and started applying it. Dean raised an eyebrow in return, watching her with confusion. She gave him a wink as she unzipped and slipped her jacket off. A silky black top came into view, it showed a bit of cleavage. Dean looked away, but not before she saw him watching her. He shifted uneasily on his cushioned seat, trying to adjust himself. Jo kept watching him, and started to slip her pants off. He looked around frantically; glad no one else was up here. He examined her wide eyed, "What are you doing?" he exclaimed. She shimmied out of the tight pants, her butt and thighs barely getting out. Dean started to sweat.

"Relax. I'm wearing a dress. Don't get too uptight Romeo." She explained. She threw her pants next to her and started putting on eyeliner. Dean couldn't remove his eyes from her. The 'top' was actually just part of a dress she was wearing. It ended right above her knee. He closed his mouth, realizing it was hanging open. Jo was so beautiful it was making him get really bothered. He threw his coat off and she gave him a small smile before returning to her makeup.

"Just trying to look more formal." He lied. She didn't address that comment. For a few more minutes he just watched her finish her makeup. He didn't know what to say in the least. Jo looked at him finally and let her ponytail out. Her hair fell past her shoulders and bordered her face. Every feature called his attention. He tried to keep a stoic look though and simply asked, "What's all this about?"

She looked at him with more confidence than he had ever seen, "This is a date." She stated.

"What? Look Jo, if this is about earlier I—"

"No it's not about earlier." She said, "I've been planning this for awhile. As you can probably figure out, I put this dress on before we left this morning. Although, I would love to talk about what happened earlier." She said. Dean scrunched his face unsure of what to say. "Look Dean, I'm tired of us hiding our true feelings. It's getting in the way of our friendship."

"I don't have to listen to this." Dean said putting on his usual unemotional MO. He looked like he wanted to leave.

"Dean. I saved a long time for this." She said suddenly starting to look nervous. "Can we at least talk—then?" She shrugged cutely.

Dean had anger rising in him, but mostly for himself. He wanted to leave so much, but wanted to stay more. How long could she keep resisting his blatant denial for her? How long could he keep it up even though he wanted Jo as more than a friend? "Fine. Let's talk." He managed to say. She gave him a little smile. The waiter came by and they ordered. He got the special. He hadn't the slightest what it was. Jo gave him a worried look which he ignored.

"So how's Sam?"

"I haven't talked to Sam in months. You know that."

"Can I ask why?"

"Sam and I.." Dean gulped, then continued, "we're just too different these days. I had to accept it eventually." He explained.

"Don't you think he misses you Dean?" Jo asked looking sad. "Don't you think he wants to hear from you?"

Dean took a while to respond. " I'm sure he does, but I'm not good with all that emotional stuff quite honestly. I mean, I love the kid to death, but I don't know what I would say to him. I think it's better this way. Maybe I'll send him a Christmas card." He muttered the last part as a joke.

"If I could talk to my Mom again…" Jo trailed, "I would give anything. Don't you think you should at least try and talk to him? You guys are family, and you don't have anyone else left Dean." Jo said.

Dean thought about her words for a long time. He knew there was one other person he really cared for and that was Jo, but he couldn't tell her that; especially not on their "date". Dean started to shake his head, "I guess I'm just too stubborn." He admitted.

"I know. I Just wanted to help." Jo said, smiling at Dean. "How about we talk about something else?" she suggested. Dean nodded in agreement. A waitress dropped off their drinks and commented on how pretty Jo looked. Dean just smiled at her, and Jo blushed.

"You have a very pretty girlfriend, you must feel so lucky." The girl told Dean. Dean gave her a strange look, but quickly turned it into a grin.

"Yeah. She makes the whole world go round!" he stated, taking a deep drink of beer. Jo just gave her another thanks and she was gone. Jo looked at Dean with a shine in her eyes.

"Hey Dean, can I ask you something?"

Dean felt his stomach turn over. What was she going to ask? "Sure." He said in a normal voice.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" she asked.

Dean froze. He was completely stupefied. Did she actually have doubts about that sort of thing? Before he could even speak she piped up.

"It's just that as a hunter it's not something I hear a lot. Sure there are guys who want to get in my pants all the time, but that's a completely different thing. I don't know if my heart makes me pretty too. I don't know if it's something you can understand, but it's just something girls need to hear from time to time. My mom used to tell me all the time, but now that she is gone—"Jo had watery eyes and the more she talked the quieter she became. She wasn't even looking at Dean by the end.

"Of course you are. You're the most beautiful girl I think I've ever met." Dean said being honest. Jo started balling almost immediately. He looked at her unsure of what to do. A panic surged through him. She covered her eyes and hid her face. He got up and sat down next to her on the other side. She wrapped her arms around his chest. She had a coconut perfume on. She clenched tight to him, rubbing her body against his. Her hair brushed into his face. He found himself hugging her too. Dean felt truly happy being there for Jo. She sobbed into his chest and seemed to hug him closer moment by moment. Dean hesitated, his hand hanging above her head, but then temptation overcame him. He began to run his large hands through her hair. Her hair was smooth and luscious. He lost himself in the moment. They sat there for a long time as he comforted her and she cried. After what seemed like forever Dean noticed the waitress was standing in the stairway with the food. Dean beckoned her and she dropped the food off.

Jo wiped her eyes and sat back up, keeping her head leaning on Deans shoulder. He started to eat what was the most delicious burger he had ever eaten In his life. This night was turning out to be awesome. "Hey Dean, can I ask you something else?" Jo asked. She began to run her hands up and down his strong, bare arm. She flashed her eyelashes at him.

"Sure." He said, waiting for her to talk.

"All that stuff you said back at Dr. Hopes. Was any of it true?"

"All of it." He said quietly.

"Same here…" she said. Dean looked at her. Her face was turned to the side and their lips were inches apart now. His heart raced. "Do you think any of what he said was true? The part about being tense because of our unspoken feelings?"

Dean looked at her and parted his lips. Jo shut her eyes and tensed her jaw. Dean closed his eyes as well and he furrowed his brow. The lovely aroma of her skin, hair and breath touched him. He put his hand on hers, "Jo. I'm sorry, but…" Dean looked out the window across the beautiful expanse. The doppelgangers visage overtook him with anger and he knew what he had to do. They both sat in limbo for a while.

"..but you can't." She finally said. Hey eyes opened and she turned her head away, then she lifted it from his shoulder. Dean looked at her tenderly, a look he rarely gave. "I love you Dean." She muttered. His heart stopped for a few moments, and he couldn't speak. They exchanged amorous looks.

"I know. That's why I know what I have to do." Dean said coughing. "I have to go Jo."

She looked at him confused and scared, "What are you going to do? Where?"

"I just have to take care of something." He said. "Don't you think about following me, I'll see you back at the Motel Jo. I intend to continue this conversation then." Dean noted. He started to stand up, throwing his car coat over his back and giving her a sly look. She stood up and hugged him closely. He wanted nothing more than to be with her and kiss her like she deserved. "You look beautiful Jo." He said. She smiled lightly.

"I never thought I'd hear that from Dean Winchester." She breathed.

"I never thought I'd be saying it." He agreed. "But hey, when pigs fly, right." He started walking away, but turned back to her. "One more thing. Can you get that to go?" he asked, pointing to the food. She replied to him with a cheeky smile.

"Dean, I don't know what you're doing, but hurry back…"


	8. Finally Alone

Dean's spiky brown hair danced every time a breeze ran by. His confident demeanor was equipped with his usual focused eyes, poignant lips and stern expression. He waited patiently, his back up against the moist old wall of a building. Dean had come to some dark part of town, a back alley that looked like it had never been used. There was a steel fence on either side of him and thick white fog pooling at his feet. He watched as it wrapped around the altar he had just used. His strong fingers clutched the colt firmly, and his grip began to become straining. He was ready for whatever was going to show up, no matter what it was.

An eerie silence suddenly rolled over the area and all he could hear was his own breathing. A warm, but icy looking breath shot out from his mouth. Not the normal kind, but the kind that comes out when a spirit was near. He firmed his shoulders and started watching in all directions. He paced back and forth, his strong presence filling the alleyway with a sense of danger. "Come out you sick son of a bitch!" he yelled. His eyes peered even more than usual as he scanned his vicinity more closely. Nothing was showing up yet.

After months of going along with Bobby's advice Dean had finally broke. He was tired of running form the death omen, and he wanted answers if he could get them. Back when Dean originally found out that he was going to die he found a ritual to purge himself of the negative, supernatural energy he had collected. The downside was that it would manifest into a being of immense power. He wasn't running anymore though, he wanted to see what this thing knew. Besides, he had the Colt. Whatever it was, it was going to take Samuel Colt up the rear. He grinned confidently.

"What are you waiting for?" Dean yelled. He hoped the thing would come for him before it went after anyone else, but he was sure that taunting it would help his chances at that. He continued to yell and taunt the creature that he knew was somewhere. His ritual was done perfectly, and the temperature was dropping rapidly already.

Suddenly he had an idea. Dean looked down into one of the rain puddles. The doppelganger looked back at him, cackling madly. "Step back." It spoke. Dean got up and readied the colt, pointing it down into the puddle. He watched as the doppelganger grabbed the edges of the water like it was a ledge and pulled himself out. The creature looked like him, but its whole body was pale and ghostly. It's whole body appeared to be burning.

Dean looked at it proudly. "Well aren't you just a basket of ugly." He said, pulling back the hammer. Dean stared down the barrel where the Doppelgangers forehead was. He brought up his second hand to stabilize it. There was a moment of exchanged looks and then finally it started to walk towards him.

"You think I'll give you any answers Dean?" the creature asked. "Aren't you going to kill me anyways?"

"Wouldn't want to lie to yourself would you." Dean remarked.

"Always with the jokes Dean," the specter cooed. "when are you going to accept that you're going to die no matter what you do?"

Dean felt his nostrils flare, but managed to keep his cool. "Yeah, and how is that supposed to play out?"

"Even if you manage to scrape out of this hunt Dean, the next one will be even greater. Consider this a test. If you can kill the apprentice then good for you, but the master will make sure to send you to hell. That's where I'll get a piece…" it grinned.

"Master, there are two of these things?" Dean yelled. "Give more answers!"

"You're going to have to choose Dean, between two things you love." The specter cried, it seemed to be enjoying this. "But you can't save everyone!"

Dean bared his teeth and brought his right arm out as he took a step forward. He felt the colt press against the creature's forehead. A smile escaped him, and he looked the creature in the eye. "Maybe you're right," he managed to say through his shaking, "Maybe I will die. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but maybe you're right. Who knows, maybe I won't be able to save everyone I love. There is one thing I do know though." Dean said.

"Oh? What would that be?" the Doppelganger asked.

"Ain't no one going to save you're ass." Dean said hissing. He pulled the trigger on the colt and the demon blew back into the far side of the alleyway. A dark hole ripped across his forehead, and a surge of electricity danced between his eyes and throughout his body as the gun took effect. It's body fell limp and stopped moving completely moments later. Dean drew back the gun and put it into his jacket. He sneered at the beast as it vanished into thin air. Rain started falling onto his hair and he felt like puking.

Was there any hope for him? What did the creature mean by what it said? Maybe it was lying? His body shook violently and he cursed at himself. He stooped down to look at the rain puddle and saw only his own reflection in the water. Sure he had killed the death omen, but it didn't change the fact he was going to die. Ironic, he thought. Then, Dean had a strange sense of loneliness wash over him. Even when no one else was around he at least always had the doppelganger there. Now he was completely and utterly alone.

* * *

**What do you guys think of the story so far? I want to thank everyone for reading it! It means a lot. I hope you're ready, because things are about to get really interesting...**

**Always, **

**Waxwarrior**


	9. Hexbags, Guts and Boobies

The old faucet poured out slowly, and drips of water covered his hair which then washed over his face. Dean brought his hands up to rub the grime away, and looked down to watch the drain suck in the water. A whirlpool of tap was suctioning down constantly, but never quite disappeared. He closed his eyes tightly in meditation. There was so much he had to think about that he couldn't process it straight. In fact, Dean couldn't remember how many hours he had been in the shower. He figured it was probably past midnight now; Friday morning. His head strained and beat with the headache he was developing. Dean sent out a fist that connected with the shower wall, and a mist of water splashed off his body with the force. He looked down at his hands; they were white with wrinkled skin from all the exposure to water. He ran them through his hair, slicking it back. "What am I supposed to do?" The question slipped off his tongue and lingered in the air for awhile. Nothing seemed to move, but the hot water and he felt himself slipping into madness.

Minutes later, Dean had gotten out of the shower and was readying himself to try and get some rest. The more and more he thought about his predicament though, the less hope had to get even a minute of sleep. He could die tomorrow and so many things would go unsaid. He wouldn't let that happen. Not on his watch. Life wasn't fair, he always knew that from seeing the things he did since childhood, but he also swore to himself he'd go down swinging. Dean smiled at the reflection in the mirror, feeling smug that it was alone. He grinned and gave himself a wink. Before he knew it he was making all sorts of silly expressions and he felt a little better. He started humming rock tunes as he got out his electric razor. The tool dragged along his face leaving dark stubble that gave him an edgy look. A stoic hero stared back at him. Within his own green eyes he could see years of discipline, years of pain. All the peace he had worked for instantly drowned away. A warm shower and a good cleanup weren't going to make him feel better. He needed to be with Sam. He needed to be with Jo.

Dean picked his phone up out of his pants pocket and started scrolling through his contacts. The highlighted section of text sat over Sam's name. He stared down at the letter and read them over and over again, before setting the phone back in his pocket. He just couldn't do it. His pride was too strong to call Sam first. Instead Dean dialed up Bobby. The phone rang a few times before Bobby picked up on the other end. The sound of the surly old man's voice made Dean feel reminiscent. He smiled before speaking, "Hey Bobby." Dean watched himself talking on the phone. He ran a hand across his bare chest, feeling the muscles underneath. They were firm and plenty. He flexed in the mirror examining how the soft bulges made him look stout and strong. A smile ran across his face. He wished Jo could see this.

Both he and Bobby made idle chat for a while before Dean got to the real point. Wrapping a towel around his waist Dean finally asked, "Hey bobby. I was wondering how Sam is doing."

A soft sigh came over the line and then Bobby spoke in a raspy growl, "I knew you weren't calling to ask how my gardening was Dean, are you an idget? Balls! Call that boy yourself, he's your little brother and I ain't no telegram service!" The phone line went dead and Dean leaned against the wall looking defeated. He felt a bitterness crawl along his body. Why wouldn't Sam just call him? Ignoring the thoughts, he went to the medicine cabinet and grabbed out some hair product. He ran it through his hair and brought it into its usual fauxhawk, and then he slipped on some boxers. He took a final glance in the mirror and decided he looked pretty fresh.

Suddenly he heard the door to his room slam and someone walking out and about. Dean immediately became focused, and dashed over to his dirty clothes. He grabbed a thick hunting knife from the pile and approached the bathroom door. He listened closely, but didn't hear anything outside of the rain on the roof. Slowly he grabbed around the door handle without twisting it. He readied himself mentally and then burst through it. In a split second he was on top of the intruder, chest to chest, on the ground. He brought the knife up to their throat and bared his teeth. It was just Jo.

"Dean! Get off me!" she said wriggling free. Dean jumped up to his feet and muttered an apology. He tossed the knife towards his bed, but he saw it land on the floor instead. He cursed silently to himself, as he helped Jo to her feet, before plopping down on the end of his spare bed. Jo remained standing, and started talking quickly, "Dean! Where have you been! You didn't even tell me you got back! I thought you were dead!" Jo continued to voice her concerns as he had been gone. He faded in and out of listening to her. His headache got more intense. He was more focused on watching her eyes as she took glances at his body. That made him really smile.

"Jo, I'm sorry." He said, trying to be convincing. "I just needed to get out and get some fresh air."

"Then what were you doing with this?" Jo asked, holding up the Colt. The antique revolver was sure proof that he had been up to no good. She probably already noticed one of the bullets was gone. Dean made sure to note that it wasn't on his bed anymore. He looked down, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"I was shooting my death omen." He explained looking up at her, "I was tired of ducking it."

"You went ahead and did the ritual, without me?" Jo looked furious. She walked over to him, staring into his eyes. "You could have died Dean? I heard all about that ritual from Bobby."

"Then you know all about how it did me jack diddly." Dean hissed.

"You risked your life for nothing, and you didn't even bring your partner?" Jo inquired, looking bewildered.

"Yep." Dean said sourly.

"I can't believe you Dean! I thought you respected me by now. I'm a good hunter!" Jo said angrily. Dean looked at her more closely, noticing all the makeup was gone. She was in her pajamas now.

"I know. It's not that. I just don't want to get you hurt." Dean said honestly. "I really, really don't want you hurt." He repeated. His face started to beat red with emotion. "I already lost Sammy, and I am not losing anyone else."

Jo looked at him apologetically. "Dean, I just want you to understand that we're partners for a reason and I want to be there to protect you in every situation, alright?" She sat next to him. His body quivered, feeling a rush of butterflies. "Did you at least find anything out?"

"Yeah. Apparently this thing we're hunting has a master and it said that even if I survive this one, the master will kill me. I guess that's what it all means now." Dean trailed.

"What?"

"The second fight must be the one that kills me. The second hunt is gonna get me I suppose." Dean finished. "I guess we all get it in the end though…"

"Dean. I'm not letting you die." Jo said.

"He also said that I'm only going to be able to save one person, and that I'd have to choose between them."

"What did he mean?" Jo asked looking spooked.

"I don't know." Dean whispered. "He was probably lying." Dean said reassuring her.

"You don't look like you believe that."

Dean settled his hands on his knees and shook his head disbelievingly. "Yeah. He just had this look in his eye, like he was telling the truth. If you would have seen it you would think the same thing. Anyways, can't be too careful, right?"

"Well. I'm not going to let any of that stuff happen Dean. You're all I got left." She chirped, her lips quivering. Dean watched her concerned eyes.

"I don't plan on dying. I'm not worried at all." Dean lied, but he sold it pretty well. "If those sons of bitches want to roll out the fortune cookies, I'm just gonna have to prove 'em wrong."

Jo smiled at him, looking impressed. "Promise me you won't do something stupid behind my back again, okay? We're partners." She said intently. She reached her hand out to him as a request.

Dean looked at her hand for a moment considering the repercussions of any agreement he might make. In the end though, Jo was right to want this. Maybe he was still treating her like a little sister he needed to protect after all. With hesitation, he put his hand around hers and they had a firm shake. She looked like she might burst from excitement. "Thanks Dean!" She chirped, hugging him. He chuckled at her as she grabbed around his naked chest and breathed in the scent of fresh soap.

"Okay, you're welcome." He laughed, looking at her. He watched Jo let go and start to dance in the middle of the room.

"I am so ready to save your life Dean-" she said with a cough. He couldn't help, but continue laughing at her excitement.

Dean suddenly noticed that Jo was giving him the strangest look ever. She looked like she was in so much pain, she couldn't speak. She started coughing violently. Dean bolted over, sliding to catch her as her legs buckled. A skin colored line of liquid started drooling from her mouth. A rush of panic overcame Dean and he shook her. "Jo—No!" he began to yell as she started convulsing. Her small frame began to feel lighter as her whole body started to bubble.

"h—hex-" Jo mumbled. Hexbag! Dean realized that a witch must be doing it. He set Jo on the ground and started searching frantically about the room.

"I'll find it!" he promised her. With all his effort he searched the entire area. Drawers, closets, cupboards, and in every room. Nothing! He even scooped his knife off the floor and cut open the mattresses, but he couldn't find the damned thing. Sweat fell off his brow and tears slipped out of his eyes. "Jo!" he yelled deeply. He ran back over to her, but it was too late.

"I can't find it." He cried. Jo had literally begun to melt all over the floor. A pool of viscous liquid, the color of her skin was pouring out from all her pores and she was quickly becoming thinner. Her gaunt face, almost a skeleton, looked up at him with absolute fear. He grabbed out to her, and picked her up in his arms. She shook violently and made tortured noises. Tears were flowing like he had never known before. _Not Jo. Please not Jo. God, no! Don't let me fail her! No!_

Mere seconds after it had started, she fell through his arms and her entire body splashed into a pool of remains, and clothing. Dean screamed out horrified and then began to desperately scrounge out with his fingers to save her. Sadness and anger overtook him. He couldn't believe she was gone! Dean was too petrified to even get up out of the mess. His whole body was covered in the gunk.

Before he had any time to react he noticed that the skin juice began to crawl towards him across the floor, and very quickly. The stuff already on him began to coat his body completely. By the time he had gotten up and out of it, his legs were almost completely covered. The juice was pale like Jo's skin and was sinking into his own flesh almost like a reverse tan. He dug at the stuff with his nails, but he couldn't grip it. It was part of him! The fluid crawled further up his body. Past his knees, up his legs and along his goodies. He thrashed violently, and effortlessly, but it had quickly covered all, but his face. He ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. His skin was turning lighter, softer, and more vibrant. The goo slithered across his face and sank into his scalp. It was all over his body! "Sonovabitch!" he yelled. He grabbed for his phone, but felt an incredible pleasure erupt through his body. He shook and let out a gasp, straightening up his body. He looked back into the mirror, watching himself pant. The Dean in the mirror looked thinner than him, and was getting skinnier by the second! What was happening?

His green eyes started widening, and the iris darkened into a honey brown. He opened his mouth in disapproval, but was silenced by another surge of ecstasy. His body reeled and his eyes rolled back into his head, the shock made him nearly fall. He grabbed around his chest which was shaking. That's when he noticed his body was transforming. He felt the muscles on his arm contracting, as they shrunk quickly. His pride felt a sting as he felt along the length of his arms, but only found skinny, feminine arms. He grabbed frantically at his legs as they did the same thing. Dean tried running for the motel door, but he wasn't used to his new legs and ended up stumbling into the goo which had now reached the door.

He braced himself as the pulp clawed out on both sides, rising up around him and diving down. His vision blurred as it covered every inch and sank in. He got up scrambling, unable to escape it. It now looked like a thick skin colored spandex suit, covering his half transformed body. Dean started yelling, his eyes looking out frantically for help. He was now under so much stress, emotion, and ecstasy that he couldn't even move. He fell back and began to writhe on the ground as the transformation progressed. He moaned as the rest of his body lost thickness, muscle and as his whole frame shrunk. Struggling, he began to crawl towards the bathroom again, noticing that all the goop had latched on.

A scream left his throat as he felt his groin shrink and disappear completely. He reached down, rubbing his hand where it had been. The rest of his body began to erupt in changes, as his butt filled out and his legs became soft and curvaceous. His eyes widened in surprise as a pair of small breasts formed, hanging down from his chest. He was becoming a woman! Dean grabbed onto the side of the sink and found it harder than usual to pull himself up. His fingers were thin and unblemished now.

Once he had himself looking in the mirror again he was frightened to see what was mostly his face, but on a female's body. His hands probed all along his new self. He had gentle, pale skin, and the body of a very skinny, attractive girl. His stomach was smooth and the breasts now adorning his chest were plump and even. He ran a hand over and under them, shaking his head with disbelief. Another hand felt into his boxers. He searched, but only found what he feared most. His hand slipped out and he gasped, sensing a panic attack. He looked up at the unfamiliar reflection. He watched as his hair brightened into a golden blonde and fell at the sides of his face, coming down to his shoulders. After that his features shrank, his cheeks plumped and his face took on a new look altogether. He quivered in disbelief at what he was seeing, but the evidence was irrefutable. He had transformed into Jo. He tried to yell, but a feminine scream escaped him. The scream of Jo.

Dean made his way back into the doorway of the bedroom and grabbed his face in his hands. His fingers rubbed along the soft, feminine face and he kept shaking his head, screaming. He was traumatized beyond consolation. The loss of Jo, and now this! Dean fell to his knees, where Jo had been. His eyes widened as he noticed another puddle forming there. He got up, this time ready to fight. He ran over and grabbed the colt. He pulled the pin back with a little difficulty and took aim. The gelatinous good started to form into the shape of a man. At first it stumbled about, building up into full stature. Soon it was towering over Jo, and it began refining features. He watched in horror as it slowly, but surely took on his old shape. His mouth hung open in anger, and wonder.

Soon the new Dean had all his features, and stood, completely naked in the middle of the room. It was rubbing it's head in confusion, looking about. They made eye contact and the imposter burst into a panicked rage. "Wh-who are you! Why do you look like me?"

A light bulb went off in Dean's head. "Jo?" he asked, unsure.

"Don't you dare even speak hellbitch! I'm going to kill your shifter ass!" it yelled. It stopped at that moment seeming to notice the sound of it's own voice. It looked up at it's raised, muscular arm, pulled back into a fist and then it looked down at what used to be Dean's package. "Wha-" it mumbled, but then it toppled down to the ground unconscious. The thing was definitely Jo. Dean looked down at himself and then at her, a bite of envy cutting at him. He tossed the Colt back onto the couch and took a deep breath. Yep, they were definitely killing some witch.


	10. I am not a narcissistic  bastard!

"Wake up. Jo, wake up." Dean said, his voice sounding like Jo's. He splashed a cup of cold water across the naked man's face. Jo began to stir, her face looking angry and tired.

"What is it? I'm sleepy." She grumbled. Dean shook his head, still not use to the change that had occurred just a few minutes ago. He was now wearing a shirt in addition to the boxers and he had laid a blanket over his old body. Jo looked up at Dean and her eyes widened. She jumped to her feet, but then stumbled back onto the floor, tripping over her own legs. "Agh!"

"Wait! Jo, it's me Dean!" Dean explained. "That witch must have got us!"

Jo looked down at herself, blushed ten shades of red and covered herself back in the blanket. "Wait! That wasn't a dream? A..a..and I'm alive?" she said, a hilarious expression on her face. "Dean?"

Dean put his arms out to present himself. "Yep…" he said sadly. Jo looked back down at herself, moving her arms around a bit and looking down at her chest. She reached a hand under the blanket, a look of fear on her face. "Hey!" Dean yelled! "Don't touch that! It's mine!"

Jo pulled her hand back out looking embarrassed. She looked at Dean for a long time, examining him from head to toe. He felt a little nervous. "How did this happen?" she asked, standing up and holding the blanket around herself. She looked down at Dean and made a surprised face, "Wow. This is different." She commented.

Dean hid his scowl, "Like I said, it must be the witch. Let's find the hex bag and get out of this situation as soon as possible. I want my meat back."

Jo nodded slowly as Dean threw a pair of boxers into her face. She looked down at them with fear. "Am I supposed to put these on?" she muttered.

"Yeah. Haven't you seen one before?" Dean asked passively, picking out some of his clothes for Jo. "Hey, put these on too." He said throwing them at her. She fumbled with them and they fell to the floor, along with the blanket. In a split second she had closed herself in the bathroom. "It's nothing I haven't seen before Jo. You might say I grew up with the guy." He joked. "Jo?" There was no response. "Jo?"

Dean waited by the door for a moment and then jumped at the piercing scream of a fully grown man. She began wailing complaints. Dean shook his head. "Get out here so we can fix this." He yelled back. The female voice continued to throw him off. "Don't make me go alone." He said. After a while the door opened a bit and Jo slipped her face out.

"Can you hand me those?" She asked pointing to the clothes. "I'm sorry I lost my cool." She added. Dean tossed the clothes to her. He wondered what she was thinking and doing. He paced around nervously, glancing down at himself every now and again. After a few minutes Jo came out dressed in Dean's normal attire. It was like looking at a photograph. Jo lifted up a small pouch in her hand and wiggled it back and forth. It was a hexbag. "I found this in the toilet tank." She said, tossing it at him. He caught it with surprising reflexes.

Dean undid the small bag, his small fingers working quickly and gracefully. He opened it up to find the an assortment of herbs, and bones, but with an addition. Dean picked out two small, white sticks from the bag that he couldn't identify.

"Seriously!" Jo yelled at him.

"What?" he squeaked.

"Those are the lollipop sticks!" Jo yelled.

"Sonovabitch! I hate witches!" Dean complained. He reached for his lighter, but didn't find his jeans on his legs. Right, he was in Jo's body. "Can you light this sucker up?" he asked. Jo walked over and snatched the bag out of his hand. For a moment their hands touched and he could have sworn he felt something inside him. Maybe, yearning? He figured he was in a female body now, and his old body was super sexy so that might be it, but no way was he gay. Jo gave him an odd look, but then lit the hex bag up with a lighter. She dropped it to the ground and it erupted into blue flames before becoming just a pile of ash. Dean looked down at himself. "Yep, that didn't work. We're going to have to go pay the good doctor a visit. Hopefully we can get this settled tonight." He said watching the ashes cool off.

"Yeah, let's get this over with. First things first though. I'm going to have to get you some clothes too." Jo said.

"Yeah, of course." Dean responded, watching her as she left. He did not want to wear Jo's clothes, but he knew his would not fit him. He figured there were worse things though, like Bobby and Sam finding out this happened at all. That made him cringe. Looking down at his feet, Dean made his way into the bathroom again and looked into the mirror. The beautiful face of Joanna Beth Harvelle looked back at him. He winked, so did she. Dean closed the door with his hand and continued to make faces at his reflection. He started getting a kick out of making Jo do funny faces in the mirror. He was overwhelmed with how cute he looked. It was baffling to suddenly be thrust into the body of the person he wanted to be with. It was an opportunity, he realized. If he was only going to be in a female body for a few hours, he might as well get the full experience, right? He nodded his head to Jo and she returned the gesture. He laughed and the girl giggled. He covered his mouth with embarrassment this was too much for a guy to handle. His pride hurt. It was time to get his man on.

The girl in the mirror was quite possibly the most attractive girl he had ever seen. He had known her for a while now and been hunting partners for a few months. They always had a thing for each other, that much was clear, so wouldn't she be complimented with him checking her out? Dean slowly brought his hands up to his chest and began to feel her bosom. The soft mounds were glorious in his hands, although he'd prefer to work with his own. "Jo, I didn't know you had it in you." He commented to the girl in the mirror. He did a little dance, spinning around and then squeezing his own ass. It was nice and tight, just like he imagined it. He whipped his hair around a bit, blowing kisses at his reflection. "Hey. I'm Jo Harvelle, and I'm a hunter." He said, mimicking Jo. "I have a crazy love for Dean, but he just keeps dragging me along." He joked. For a couple more minutes, Dean explored Jo's body before waving goodbye to his reflection. A slight guilt loomed over him though. He did respect Jo, but he didn't think she would mind. Especially if she didn't know he figured, smiling.

Tossing his duffel on the bed he put away his sawed off, knife and some spare shells. He grabbed his handgun and started aiming it around the room, trying to get used to the body. Jo came back in and handed him some clothes, pointing at the bathroom. "Here, I'll dress you." She said, her voice deep and attractive. Dean shuttered.

"Seriously? I know how to get dressed."

"I don't want you to see me naked." She said flatly, shrugging shyly.

"First of all, don't act like a chick while you're in my body. Secondly, I'll just close my eyes."

"I don't trust you."

"Pfft. Why wouldn't you trust me?" Dean asked innocently.

"Because you're a scoundrel when it comes to women." Jo responded, grabbing his arm and bringing him to the bathroom. Dean didn't even try to struggle, she was way stronger.

"Don't manhandle me, woman." Dean complained.

"Just close your eyes, okay?" Jo laughed. Dean listened, tossing out a peek to annoy her. "Seriously Dean." She hissed.

"Fine." He submitted. Dean could feel Jo's coarse hands grab his shirt and pull it over his head. Soon she pulled the boxers off and Dean was completely naked. Jo let out a small whistle, and Dean felt his cheeks get red. A wash of anger followed it. "Don't do that!" he objected.

"Aren't you just…" Jo trailed. "Lift your leg up." Dean followed suit as Jo slipped a pair of silky panties on him. First one leg and then the other. He almost fell over from lack of balance. Stupid boobs. Jo brought the underwear up and carefully pulled them to a stop. Dean quivered, his mouth watering. What was happening? He couldn't get Jo's soft fingers from his mind. What kind of narcissistic bastard gets off on himself. He was really starting to hate this body. "Stop shaking." He heard Jo laugh. "Here…" she said, putting a bra on him. He continued to restrain his attraction. This was so stupid he kept thinking. After she was done he opened his eyes.

"Trust me I can finish from here." He said irritably.

"You don't want to play dress up anymore?" she joked. Dean gave her a mad look and she sighed, "So that's what I look like mad. No wonder I get my way." She said, leaving. Dean quickly through on a black tank top, a tight pair of faded jeans and some of Jo's boots. He shot a glance in the mirror before throwing on the jacket. Yep, he looked like Jo. This sucked on ice.

"Alright let's go." He said walking into the bedroom. Walking up to Jo he grabbed his car keys from her pocket, and left the room in a hurry. He was ready to ditch this body as soon as he could. It took only a few, big strides to get to the Impala once they left. He plopped down on the driver's seat and tried to reach the pedals. Damnit, he thought as his hands worked to readjust the seat to his new body. Jo sat down in the other seat. It was weird to see himself in the passenger spot.

"So I bet the other couples had hex bags in their places too." Dean inferred out loud. Jo just nodded. He kicked the car on and drove out of the lot, speeding back to the counselor's office. "We'll see if we can find any evidence to convict him back at his office. If not, we can get his address while we're at it." He piped. Jo nodded again. She seemed to be occupied with herself at the moment. She was hanging out the window making faces in the side mirror. She had a look of utter happiness on her face. Dean shook his head displeased.

They parked a few blocks away from the building, and walked there swiftly. Dean pulled back the slide on his gun and stuffed it in his jacket. Jo did the same. Once the building was in view, they snuck around the back where they found an entrance to what looked like a backroom. Dean crouched down and made his way to it, taking out his lock pick and quickly working at the door. Jo scanned the area as he worked. Within moments, it clicked and he pushed it open. An old place like this wouldn't have security, not to mention the fact he had checked when they were here earlier. Always good to know. Never can tell what doctors you're gonna have to end up ganking.

The building was quiet, and dark. Jo fired up a flashlight and they started hitting each room, starting with Doctor Hopes. They searched everywhere in there, but couldn't find any traces of witchcraft. Dean went ahead while Jo continued searching. He made his way to the lobby where he stopped to look at the check in desk. He examined the cup of tootsie pops with bitterness. They seemed normal and there weren't any runes or writings on the cup itself. Out of revenge he tossed the cup into the garbage can. He chuckled to himself. "If I were an old codger and I liked Satan a little too much, where would I hide my toys…" he wondered.

The desk that Patty sat at was completely empty. Odd, he thought. After inspecting it a little he figured she must have quit or been fired. Dean continued to search her desk, finding nothing. His eyes averted to the trash. He started digging through it, reading everything he found. Nothing seemed of importance until he found a piece of paper with satanic symbols scribbled all over it. He grinned. "Patty, Patty, Patty." He whispered. "The hot girls are always bad news." He commented bitterly. He heard Jo come into the lobby. He turned to her and lifted up the drawings as they both said, "It's the receptionist."


	11. The night before you said hello

**Hey readers.**

**It hasn't come up until now, but just so you know these stories take place in an alternate season 3. The differences being that Jake never killed Sam so they don't have to try and save Dean from going to hell. Also. The roadhouse didn't go up in flames. Yellow Eyes is still dead though. =)**

* * *

The bed Dean lay on was so much roomier than it used to be. Probably because he was a good six inches shorter and half as thick. He stretched his little limbs out until he yawned and Jo's voice purred out from his mouth. He ran his hands down his legs, and smiled. This time he was wearing those pajama bottoms. "God, I love these things." He whispered to himself. Reaching up he turned off the lamp stand and got nestled into bed. Jo was already snoring on her bed. He supposed that answered the question on if he snored in his sleep. He smiled as he watched her make loud noises and grin sheepishly.

They had decided to get three or four hours of sleep before they hit the road to go after "Patty", if that was her name he thought. He and Jo had gone to where she was staying which was a motel and found that she had checked out. They didn't have any leads yet, but it was getting late. "Just a few hours." Jo had said. He eventually had agreed on it, but everything inside of him wanted to get back in his own skin. He let out one last sigh before closing his eyes and rolling over.

Suddenly Dean found himself in the Impala. The car was headed down a long stretch of road that was seemingly endless, and not another car was in sight. There wasn't even music going on, just absolute peace. Dean noticed he was in his own body and smiled smugly, everything was okay. A giant, bright sunset sat at the end of the road, beckoning him forth. A blurry, heat effect miraged the road at the end of his vision. Almost instantly, he was in a desert; his windows were down and warm air hit his face. He was rocking his left hand to the beat of some classic rock, and was rocking a beer in his right. Things couldn't get much better than this.

"Dean..." he heard Sam say, but it wasn't adult Sam, it was his younger self, maybe ten. Everything stopped, the music, the rush of air, even his food had vanished. He was standing in some old house, and little Sam was in front of him. There was trash all around the room, and random toys. A regular pigsty. "Do you think Dad is alive? He's been gone so long…" Sammy said, wiping at his eyes. A sense of protectiveness washed over Dean and he knelt by his brother, hugging around him,

"It's gonna be alright Sam." He said hugging around his brother. Wait, he remembered this. It was a memory of when Dad was gone for three weeks. Dean at just the age of fourteen had to take care of them. Even after John had returned, he was beaten so badly that they thought he would die. Sam would have lost it if it weren't for Dean. Tears filled Dean's eyes as the young Sam cried into his shoulder. _Sam._

Dean got absorbed into the moment with his brother until he noticed something that wasn't in the memory. There was a door, one he had never seen. It was white and peeling, part of an old building. If he didn't know better he would say it was Jo's bedroom door back at the roadhouse. Dean walked over to the door cautiously. With a hand outstretched he pushed it out at arms length.

Boom! Suddenly he was in Jo's room, or rather watching through her eyes, but with no actual control. Odd, he thought. He didn't remember this.

Jo was lying on her bed, resting on her stomach. She had a black tank top and jeans on as well as her roadhouse apron. She was looking through a pile of papers and if he didn't know better he'd say they were obits. Just then, she perked her ears up. The sound of an old, craptastic sounding automobile approached from the outside. Moments later the sound of two doors shutting. Jo reached under her bed and grabbed out her shotgun. She rose to her feet and kept listening. _Who is that? Don't they know we're closed? _

The front door could be heard swinging open. She wondered who they were. Hunters? The sounds of two pairs of feet could be heard in the other room. Jo's body tensed. This was her chance to show she could kick some butt.

"Hey buddy." A man said. He paused, "I'm guessing this isn't Ellen."

"Yeah." Said another man. His voice was deep, and passionate. Jo's knees shook as she opened her door quietly. She saw one of the men standing in the middle of the room. His back was turned. A tall man, built and mysterious. He had brown hair and a distressed, brown car coat. With a couple quick soundless steps Jo brought the gun into the middle of his back. Dean remembered this. It was when they first met!

"Oh, God, please let that be a rifle." The man said, rising up his hands in surrender. Jo let a proud smile slip out. _Who says women can't do the job. Oh, right, witty retort-_

"No. I'm just really happy to see you." She replied cocking the shotgun. _Good one!_

_ "_Not movin', copy that." The stranger said. "You know, you should know somethin', Miss." His voice was confident. Jo felt uneasy. "When you put a rifle on someone, you don't wanna put it right against their back. 'Cause it makes it real easy to do –-"That's when the guy spun around and snatched her gun. "—that!" he said, staring her down. Jo was so furious she just punched him right in the center of his pretty face and grabbed the gun back. _Oh yeah, what now! _

Dean stopped paying attention to the scene. He was consumed by what Jo was thinking. He was living through her memory of it. He could hear her thoughts! What was happening? By the time Dean started paying attention again, Jo, Ellen, Sam and himself had already all been introduced. He watched Jo's eyes carefully. She was acting casual about things, but he could tell that she was hiding something. Dean watched as she scoped him out from a far. She was pretending to work, but she would glance at Dean as he talked to Ash.

_Who are these two? Dean, and Sam? John Winchester's kids. I think I remember Mom mentioning something about them. _A rush of warmth filled Dean. He must be feeling what she felt too. _Dean. Not bad… okay, wow, who is this guy? _She watched Dean with a keen interest. Curiosity was overtaking her. She was mad at herself for being so childish. _I'm going to find more out about this Dean guy. I swear it._

Suddenly the roadhouse faded away. A rush of quick scenes flashed before his eyes. Dean sat stunned as all the memories she had of the two of them flew through his mind in a quick progression. Then it stopped. Dean loomed over a new scene. He recognized it, that bar in Duluth, Minnesota. Jo had just stitched up his wound and now he was leaving to go after Meg.

"Thanks I'll call you later, okay?" He heard himself say, looking back for a moment before strolling out the door.

Jo stood there for a short second after he had gone, her face turning into a frown. "No you won't." she said, staring after him. Dean felt guilt. He never had called, she was right. Man he was a piece of crap sometimes. After standing there for another minute Jo sat down on one of the bar stools. Her face looked angry, her body looked brooding.

_Damnit Jo! Get a hold of yourself. It's not like he could ever respect you, let alone want to be with you. He just thinks you're some kid no matter what you do, and no matter how many times you prove yourself. So throw your feelings away, they make you weak. _Dean could feel her anger and grief surge through him. It was unbearable. _Meg was telling the truth Jo. Just accept it. _The words haunted her. She masked her face in her hands, beginning to sob. _Dean is never going to call you. He's just gonna keep fighting until he finds the girl that can make him happy. He'll probably settle down one day and be joyous, and I'll just be alone. I just want Dean and I hate myself for it._

The dream started to feel more like a nightmare. The bar darkened and became cold. Dean wanted to hug her and lift her up in his arms. He wanted to kiss her until she felt better or fell asleep. Somehow he wanted to change time and make things different, wanted to make them right… but it was too late. The scene changed again.

Now he was in Jo's room once more, but it had changed. Time had passed. He wasn't sure how much, but he was sure he didn't recognize the memory at all. Rain was falling outside the window, cozy warmth crept over her and she was almost asleep. Suddenly, her phone rang. Dean watched as she picked it up and answered. Her face turned from tired to ecstatic in a single second. _Dean! He called back! He wants me to come meet him? _"Yeah, okay." Jo said, nodding. "Bye." The girl dropped the phone looking gleeful as ever. She sat there for a minute before she could move.

A flash of confusion went over Dean. He never called Jo back. Unless, "Oh damnit!" he thought. It must've been the doppelganger calling. Was this when they met? Bam! The scene changed again. Dean was starting to get tired of this. He could barely make out the shapes of two people. They were silhouetted. It looked like he was in a bedroom, but not Jo's.

"That was the best night of my life Dee—" Jo started to say, but she was stopped with a kiss, presumably the doppelgangers. Dean's fists clenched with pure jealousy and rage. He wanted so bad to kill that son of a bitch again.

"Just being myself—awesome." The twin replied. They continued to kiss. Dean felt Jo's feelings inside himself. They were stronger than anything he had ever felt. Did Jo care for him this much? "Say Jo. We've been dating for a while now; I wanted to ask you…" A shot of excitement shot through Jo, and she could barely breathe. _Finally. I love you Dean. _"You know I'm bad with this mushy stuff, but I wanted to know if you would be my girlfriend officially." He said. Jo had tears in her eyes, and her heart could barely keep from bursting.

"Yes." She simply said holding onto him. Soon they were both on the bed kissing ferociously. _I'm so glad I held out for this moment. All my dreams have come true. _Jo's thoughts echoed throughout Dean's head. He didn't know what sickened him more, his own ignorance or the fact Jo was about to make love to his evil clone.

Jo brought her lips down on the duplicates as she straddled him. She wanted him inside her more than anything. She wanted to be one. "Dee." She moaned. He seemed to understand. He flipped her over and they both started undressing. She ran her hands up and down his chest. His muscles pulsed as he handled her, his paws scorched right through her, the passion unending. With every moment passed she became happier, and freer than she had ever been. She began to call his name again, and again, never stopping once. Dean wanted to look away, but this wasn't his memory.

No dream yet was more vivid then this one. Everything seemed perfectly detailed. It was important to Jo, which was undeniable. Hell, it was the best moment of her life. He was sure. Dean was filled with hatred for everything. She had never told him that they went this far and even worse yet, he knew she must think about it every time she looked at him. He began to hear himself screaming at the pair of lovers. His voice bounced off them soundlessly and he couldn't stop it. So for the next what seemed like forever Dean watched as the two made love. The girl he'd come to love began to roll around with hell spawn and it was his entire fault. It was... his entire fault.

Everything made sense now. Why she acted so close to him despite his obvious disapproval. Why she suddenly was in irrevocable love with him. She had been this far with a creature that mimicked him almost perfectly. She loved him, and he didn't even know it. He thought back to the day he torched the doppelganger. How she had cried, and how much. It all made sense now. He had unintentionally crushed her happy life, by saving her from what he saw as evil.

_Damn…_

_

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**R&R folks. Much love. -Waxwarrior**  
_


	12. Dean's promise

Dean woke up in a puddle of sweat, his body livid and shaking. He got up and looked down to his feet. He was still Jo. He let out a sigh and looked over at the clock. It was dead. _Damnit! _In a hasty fit Dean threw off his blankets and grabbed his phone out of Jo's pockets, probing underneath the covers for it. Jo let out an annoyed noise as she opened her eyes.

"We overslept! The alarm clock went dead." Dean explained, looking at his phone.

"What? Oh! Don't worry… we'll get her." She replied, sleepily, rolling back over.

"Come on. Let's go! I'm ready to get my normal on. Agh! It's stinking cold in here. You need to eat more." He said looking down at his body.

Jo opened her eyes and shot him an angry look, "Are you calling me anorexic?"

"No. I'm just worried about your potential future as a popsicle." Dean said laughing.

"Whatever. Hey, we need to get clean and stuff before we hit the road. We might be stuck like this for awhile."

Dean felt a crease forming on his forehead. "Okay well, how do you propose I take a shower? You don't want me to see you naked, remember?"

"Oh. I don't know." Jo said thoughtfully.

"Hey, we could always bathe each other! Kidding."

"Oh. Well, that doesn't sound so bad." Jo answered. Dean felt himself freeze, just looking at her stunned.

"Hey don't get me wrong, I'm all down for kinky, but that's just downright creepy." Dean piped, flashing a certain smile that looked goofy on Jo's face.

Jo scoffed, "Do you have any other ideas then?" Dean shook his head, slowly. "It's simple. I wear my clothes and wash you, and then you do the same to me. That way there won't be any…" There was an awkward silence in the room. "Well anyways. Here, I'll teach you my routine before we get cleaned up."

"Ok… Uhm, routine?" Dean was getting worried. Jo got off the bed and pointed to the ground. "My Yoga. Here I'll show you." Jo said laying on the ground and starting to do some strange contorting moves. "Well, I'll try." She said, struggling to stretch in Dean's body.

"Look. Normally I would love to do yoga with you," Dean said thinking about Jo's ass, "but as things stand right now, we have a flem spitting bitch to catch."

"Oh come one. It's an important part of my day. It's relaxing… come on." Jo said with a sad look.

"Don't make that face with my face." Dean exclaimed. "Besides, was this what you were trying to do?" Dean asked, giving Jo a pouty look. She looked uneasy and offput.

"Wow. I suddenly feel bad for using that. It holds so much power." She said. "And fine. We don't have to do yoga. Let's just get cleaned up shall we?"

Dean nodded at her. "Here, you go first." Jo returned the nod and they both went into the bathroom. As Dean came in he started preparing the soaps and things he usually used. Jo started the water and then began stripping. A stab of nervousness came over him when Jo took off her shirt. A pile of muscle and beauty flooded out. He suddenly knew this situation was not going to end anywhere good. Jo cast him a look of near anticipation and closed her eyes as he finished stripping her. He kept thinking how weird things were getting as his feminine hands trembled over her large, cut muscles. He felt a longing in his stomach as she stepped blindly into the tub and laid down.

At once Dean started cleaning her, his hands shaking and his eyes watching hers. They didn't say anything at any point. He definitely didn't say anything when he was rubbing down her strong arms, or muscular chest and especially not when he noticed she was hard… down there. Every part of him wanted to stop, but he figured it would be less awkward if he didn't make it seem like a big deal.

As soon as he was done he quickly got her dried and dressed, averting his eyes from hers. Once that was done he waited impatiently for the tub to empty and refill. Almost at once he remembered his dream, and suddenly wondered if Jo had the dream to. They looked at each other uneasily and he could tell that, yes, she must have. He wasn't going to say anything though. Not yet.

Before too long he had his eyes closed, and Jo started undressing him. Her rough fingers caused him to shake with every touch and he wanted to explode. He couldn't believe the attraction she had for him. He felt disgusted with himself. Moments began to pass and she wasn't touching him anymore. That's when he felt lips on his and he opened his eyes in a panic. She had her hands grasped around his face and she was kissing him deeply. The feeling overtook Dean and he found it hard to resist. He raised his hands in defense, but found them falling onto Jo's arms. He let out a sigh, and so did she. Soon Jo was stripping off his shirt, until he was only bare skin. They began to dig into each other, overcome with something new. Dean was fighting to regain control. Was this just another dream? It felt like it to him.

Soon they were up against the wall and she was planting more and more kisses. Her hands were working wonders across his body and he felt an unfamiliar rush. Memories of their past encounters flooded through his head, but from Jo's perspective. He breathed in her musky scent and kissed Jo back fiercely. He had to show her that he had everything she wanted. _What's happening to me_? Another rush overcame him and Dean brought her onto the bed in the main room. He drove her into submission and felt him closely to his own body. A sense of satisfaction came over him every time he knew Jo was enjoying his body, and feeling her own. A smile stretched across his face, and Jo met his expression with sudden regret.

That was the end. Jo broke away, running out the door and leaving Dean quivering, scared and emotionally confused. Even in this body he still loved Jo. He enjoyed kissing her despite things being a little off. Okay, way off. His eyes closed shut, and he brought his hands around his naked body. He thought about her soft skin, and how someday he wanted to be her official protector. The one who looked after her every day, and got to kiss her because of their unabashed love. He felt a stray tear fall down his face. Normally he would be outraged to be in a girl's body at all, let alone crying. Today however, he needed to make a choice.

Jo loved him since pretty much the moment she saw him, or even heard his voice. She had always tried to get his attention, and be better so he would respect her. Not only as a hunter, but as a potential lover. He was done leaving her disappointed. Dean swore to himself then and there that he would do his best to save himself, save Sam and Jo and make everything up to her. He was going to make things right. She had suffered too much, and he hated it.

His tears and heartache weren't because of all the estrogen surging in his body, well, it might have been a little bit attributed to that, but for the first time in Dean's life, he was in love. Then he swore out loud, hearing Jo's beautiful voice chorus his own thoughts. "I promise I'm going to make things better. I promise everything's going to be alright Jo. I love you."


	13. No reason for my fear

**Hey guys! I want to thank everyone thus far for all their encouragement and thoughts on this story. Thanks to-The Grinning Psychopath, 8marta8, cheekymonster2, dean-jo, and Kirbwarrior as well as anyone else who's been keeping up with it!Oh and yes! I do love torturing you guys!  
**

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"_Trust me. I've seen big weird, little weird, ____weird with crazy on top. This isn't so bad. Chop it up to a bad mistake. Hey, if it makes you feel any better, it was more like masturbation than anything… If you really think about it."_

Dean thought back to his conversation with Jo after the bathtub incident. He tried to convince her it was okay, but she kept babbling about how she couldn't help it. Male hormones, he had told her. Now you understand, he had laughed. None of it got through though. Things were at an absolute awkward high and he was getting tired of it. He just wanted to be with Jo, but not this close, he was starting to have an identity crisis. Especially with all of her old memories and feelings cropping up at the drop of a hat. They had to fix this.

He and Jo were standing next to one of the beds and they both just stared at his phone, and then at each other, and then back to the phone, then to each other. The process continued long enough for Dean to get a kink in his neck. "Alright. I'm just gonna get it over with." Dean explained, moving towards the phone. Jo gulped and nodded. "He's going to laugh, and then continue to laugh… possibly forever." He said sadly. "If anything ever kills that old coot, it might be this. Well, at least he'll go happy." Dean reasoned, shrugging. Jo's lip trembled in response. "Okay. Here goes nothing."

With reluctant fingers Dean dialed Bobby up and put the phone up to his face, shaking his head, not wanting to do what he was about to. If they had a way to track her gps quickly, they would, but right now if they wanted to be fast they'd have to call Bobby. The phone rang through a lot, Dean felt relieved, but right before it went to voicemail, a raspy voice answered his waiting. "Damnit Dean. If this is about Sam again hang up. All I want to do is just eat my pie, alright?"

"You got Pie? Not poontang pie I hope!" Dean remarked childishly.

"No, cherry. Wait, Jo? What the hell?" Bobby sounded astounded. "Who the hell is this? Dean? Jo? Dean?" he asked in quick succession.

"Well that's why I'm calling actually Bobby," he took in a deep breath. Jo looked at him sympathetically, "Something a little, well, a lot freaky happened." He laughed feebly, "Jo and I…"

"Jo and you? Isn't this Jo? Is this a joke. Why are you talking in that cocky voice, you sound like Dean."

Dean tossed Jo a look and they both smiled a bit. "Yeah. This is Dean."

"Go on…"

"Okay, I'll just cut straight to it. A witch gave us the freaky Friday treatment and now we're all switched up."

"Wait—what! Who is this?"

"Lindsay Lohan—I mean Dean. It's Dean, alright! I'm in Jo's body and she's in mine. Can we get to the solution? Bobby?" Dean didn't hear Bobby on the other end until a stream of laughs prevented him from speaking. The old codger just kept on going and Dean had to hear it. "Yeah I know, hilarious. I'm shaking in my," he looked down at his feet. "slip-ons." Bobby laughed harder. After a while he spoke.

"Can I talk to Jo?" he asked chuckling.

Dean handed the phone to Jo with a look of displeasure. Jo reluctantly took the phone. "Hello? Oh yeah, I'm sorry too. No, I don't think so. He's behaving. I know it doesn't sound likely, but crazier things have happened right?" Jo tossed Dean a wink. "Okay, maybe this is the craziest. I won't leave him alone. Bobby! Don't say that!" Jo laughed. "Okay, whatever, here's Dean." She said handing the phone to Dean again.

"Hello."

"I'm going to make one thing straight boy. If you touch her-"

"Bobby! C'mon! It's Jo."

"Yeah, the same girl I caught you with at my house, remember? If Ellen ever found out, she'd crawl right out of her grave and cut your dingy off with a dull knife."

"Well—I respect her." Dean answered, flinching at the thought. This time it was him doing the winking.

Bobby laughed dryly, "Do you ever get tired of lying?"

"No. Not really." He submitted. "Makes the bad days better and the good days feel like sex."

"Just shut up while you're ahead." Bobby said, stifling him. "What is it you want?"

"Your help."

"Well I assumed that much, you idget. What exactly, do you want?"

"Two things. Firstly, Jo's sending you a picture of some runes she was doodling on a napkin. Maybe you can identify them and maybe find a reversal spell. Also, I need you to track the GPS in her phone. She's sending the number too." Dean explained. A moment went by.

"Okay. Hmm. Never seen this before. I'll check out some sources. About the number though—you don't actually think she's stupid enough to use her real name do you?"

"We got no other leads so, yeah, I'm hoping she is." Dean answered. Bobby laughed. "What?"

"I'm never letting this one go Dean." Bobby said chuckling heartily.

"I know." Dean said sighing.

"Anyways. Huh, Providence."

"Providence?" Dean asked. Jo looked up from the guns she was cleaning, a confused look on her face.

"Providence, Rhode Island. That's where she is. Here I'll text you the coordinates."

"You text now?" Dean laughed, "How old are you?"

"That's funny. I thought you said you wanted the coordinates."

"Oh, I do! Sorry about that."

"Trust me boy, I'm fine with calling you princess from now on. If you ask me this might teach you a lesson on how to respect women. Now, do you want them or not?"

"Yes sir." Dean replied, feeling smaller. His phone lit up with a text message from Bobby. "Thanks. I got them. Alright, we're going to see if we can't give this bitch a second hole. Thanks for the help Snobby."

"What was that?"

"I said Bobby."

"That's what I thought. If it wasn't for the torture Jo is going through right now, I'd leave you like this." Bobby said, trying to be serious.

"Thanks Bobby."

"Oh. Be careful, okay?" Bobby told him, now completely serious.

"I will." Dean replied hanging up. A smile went over his expression as he looked at Jo. "So what'd he tell you.

"He was giving me his condolences for my situation." Jo said, looking up and grinning. Dean waved off the butterflies in his stomach. That cute face of his was going to be his undoing. Oh, irony, he thought.

"So, yeah. Providence is about seven hundred miles from here. She got there pretty stupid fast. That's like a twelve hour drive." He said trailing. "Maybe she just beamed herself there." He shot out.

"You think she has the mojo?" Jo asked.

"Well look at us. I feel like we're in some twisted reality tv show."

"Yeah, you're right." Jo said. Dean was now packing his things up. "The demon that's backing her up must have some kind of power then. We're gonna have to be ready for anything." She said seriously.

"You got that right. I still gotta get used to driving this baby." Dean said addressing the body he was in. Jo shook her head laughing.

"I gotta pack up my room. I'll meet you at the Impala in a minute alright?" Jo told him. Dean watched as she sauntered off and left. He stopped what he was doing and put his face in his hands. He just needed a quick minute to cool off and process everything.

The two hunters hit the road ten minutes later. The Impala hummed roared as Dean chased the rain torrenting past them. The roads and sky were clouded in a thick, humid fog. His brights could barely guide him down the freeway in a safe manner. "I'm getting tired of this storm. You don't think the demon is here do you?" Dean asked Jo.

"Maybe…" she said watching out the window. Jo had been quiet. Nothing changed there. This time he didn't know what was running through her head though. The dreams she was having? The bath situation? Anything else? The whole thing was making Dean go on edge. He shifted around in his seat, rolling his little shoulders inside his leather jacket. He had insisted he wore it. He thought Jo's body actually looked kind of badass in it.

Dean cast a glance at Jo before speaking, "So. You have any weird dreams lately, or any other, uhm…"

"No." Jo replied. Dean couldn't tell if she was lying. She was a hunter though, she probably had enough experience to trump his perception. "Why?"

"Just trying to make conversation." He lied. Another silence fell over them, this time he was sure she had dreams like he did. Dean tried to avoid the obvious tension by putting on some music. It was REO Speedwagon. "Can't fight this feeling" started playing. Dean and Jo both shifted uneasily. It was a song they had listened to on an occasion before. Memories started flashing in his mind. Jo looked like she was having similar problems.

_I can't fight this feeling any longer  
And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow  
What started out as friendship  
Has grown stronger  
I only wish I had the strength to let it show_

Dean was frozen. Should he turn it off? Would that make it worse? He just sat there nervously, listening to the lyrics open up old wounds in his own heart and in Jo's. Damn song. He felt Jo watching him. He gave her a good look, and their eyes met. Jo looked mournful, and Dean just gave her an empathetic nod, understanding everthing.

_I tell myself that I can't hold out forever  
I said there is no reason for my fear  
'Cause I feel so secure when we're together  
You give my life direction  
You make everything so clear_

"Hey Dean." Jo piped. "I'm so sorry. For just, everything."

Dean took his eyes off the stormy road and glanced at her for a moment. He just nodded at her not knowing what to say. She quickly looked away, looking into her lap. Dean was at a loss of words. Then as the chorus of the song hit, he couldn't help but sing it. It was almost his way of telling Jo he cared for her. It was kind of their song after all.

"_And even as I wander  
I'm keeping you in sight  
You're a candle in the window  
On a cold, dark winter's night  
And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might_

And I can't fight this feeling anymore  
I've forgotten what I started fighting for  
It's time to bring this ship into the shore  
And throw away the oars, forever_"_

Dean smiled all throughout the chorus as he hit notes he never could before. Jo had a pretty good vocal range. He even had her laughing as he sang. She looked absolutely embarrassed to see herself being so foolish though. "C'mon" he said, inviting her to join. He had to admit it was weird that he felt so happy. He just felt so good with Jo. A smile spread across his face as she started to sing along with him. He laughed at how bad of a voice his body had, but she did alright with it.

The two of them continued to sing the song until it ended. Dean even turned it up at one point. He forgot everything that was burdening him, he just thought about the girl looking back at him in the rearview mirror. What a strange way to fall in love, he thought. He supposed it was going to happen in a strange way, if it was going to happen to him at all. "Hey Jo." Dean said, as the song ended.

"Yeah?"

"I wanted you to know that you're doing great as a hunter. I don't know what I'd do without you. You've definitely saved my ass too many times to count on my two hands. Hell, even if I counted with my toes it wouldn't be enough. Anyways. Thanks." He said. "And no more mushy from me. I'm just about out of bile." He added smiling.

Jo gave him an appreciative smile, looking like she might cry. It really hit her well, he thought. He watched as she turned her face out the window and eyed the rain. "Now. Get those guns maintained." He demanded. She nodded at him and started working on them. Before long they were having a completely casual conversation about how much they hated witches. They had a great time and the drive went by quickly. Even the storm thinned out after awhile.

Ten hours in the future, five states over and zeros stops later they had arrived in Providence. They had made great time, but Dean felt more tired than usual. Jo's body didn't have the same stamina that his had built up. With tired eyes, Dean steered the car into a nestle of trees out of sight. He pointed through the branches at an old church. "That's the place. Yep, coordinates match." Dean commented. "You ready for this?" he asked, grabbing out his pistol and pocketing it in his jacket. Jo just nodded grabbing out her own gun. "Alright, let's get this show on the road." Dean said stepping out onto the grass, looking around suspiciously. He caught a glimpse of himself in the car windows, watching as his feminine reflection shook its head. This wasn't going to be easy.

All he could think about as they snuck up to the building was a part of that REO song. It funneled through his head as he traversed the lawn with silent, strong strides. Jo kept up at his side and they met by the front door. He caught glimpse of a massive gargoyle statue far in the distance, up on a hill. He offhandedly decided it didn't look very nice.

Night was falling, a cold winter night. The church looked empty and a dark feeling enshrouded it. Dean pulled back the slide on his gun, drawing it from his jacket. He gave Jo a confident look and then burst through the front door with a strong kick. The doors both flew open and broke slightly at the hinges. Jo gave him an impressed look. Dean felt his leg sting with pain, but hid it from his expression. "All in the technique." He told her. "Ouch." He muttered, biting his tongue.

They entered a large space filled with rows of pews. Dean took the left wall and Jo hugged the right. Then slowly they approached the front altar. Dean stopped suddenly, hearing the distinct ringtone of a phone. The robotic sound kept playing and they slowly came upon a door to a backroom. This time Dean opened the door, and peered inside. It was a storage room. Walking cautiously, he tiptoed up to a basket. Peering in it, he saw a ringing phone. Snatching it up he read, "The Witch" as the caller ID. Dean gave Jo a surprised look and she gestured for him to open it. Hesitantly, Dean flipped it open and listened for a voice.

The cute voice of Patty the receptionist greeted him. "Hello. Is this Dean or Jo. Or… can you tell?"

"Damnit." Dean hissed.

"Oh, hello Dean." Her voice jerked Dean around in all the wrong ways. "Yes, I knew you were following me. Although, I'm surprised you thought I could be caught so easily. My master is far craftier than that. No, I'm safe and sound." She said happily. "Although you aren't—" she added. Dean could hear chanting voices entering the Church. Both he and Jo pointed their guns at the door. "You're about to be quite occupied." She said, hanging up the phone. Dean swore out at the dead line, and then threw the phone to the ground with a crunch.

"What do you think is out there?" Jo asked, addressing the door.

"Keebler elves?" Dean offered sarcastically. Jo gave him a nervous look as the chanting got louder. Dean began to memorize every detail on the door because he stared so intently, preparing himself for a big fight. Sweat began to fall from his face, and the room seemed hotter. The voices rang louder outside the room and approached closer. Still, all he could think about was a verse of that song. A perverse smile came across his expression as he accepted it might be the last thought he ever had.

_My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you  
I've been running round in circles in my mind  
And it always seems that I'm following you, girl  
'Cause you take me to the places  
That alone I'd never find_


	14. Yellow Eyes

A wash of fear came over Dean. Not for himself, but for Jo. He had to protect her no matter what happened; her and Sammy. It was kind of who he was. Dean clutched the gun tighter as he thought about what to do, and damned himself for walking into the trap. There was nowhere to run and nothing to use to their advantage. They were sitting ducks. He gave Jo a cocky smirk, but inside he was worried they were both dead. "I promise we'll walk out of this one." He told her. Jo nodded slowly, keeping her eyes focused on the door. The chanting came even closer, but then seemed to stop. Dean put a protective hand behind him to hold onto Jo's. Her hand tightened around his. Dean focused hard to listen for more sound. _Maybe we can make a break for it. Maybe we can take them on. No way am I going to lose, not after all the things I've learned. Sammy. Jo. I made a promise. _

Just then a cold chill filled the church. Dean's hair swept to either side of his face as a cold slash of wind blew under the door. His jacket ballooned a bit and he fell off balance for a moment. Dean and Jo gave each other possibly the last look they would ever give and Dean felt his heart pump fast. He didn't want to die like this, especially not as a girl. Before Dean could cringe more at the thought, another blast wave shot out. This time the door to the storage room ripped off and Dean fell back while trying to dodge it. Luckily Jo's arms caught him before he hit the ground. Dean watched as the spikes of her hair danced in the air, and her stern expression reminded him of his own. He began to open his mouth to speak, but she did first.

"Dean. If we die here," She said, pulling him up onto his feet. "I want you to know—"her voice caught in her throat and she looked sad.

"Save it." Dean said, pointing at the ground. Through cracks in the floor, dark clouds were billowing out and charging into the main hall. Dean ran in after it. No way was he letting a demon get involved. Going into a sprint, Dean dashed into the main hall after the demon, but was cut off. He dug his feet into the ground sideways, coming to an abrupt stop. He pointed his gun at a group of cloaked figures. They were dressed in baggy, black cloaks. The hoods hung down over their faces, but they appeared to be human. One of them had more of a design to their clothing. He had golden trim on his cloak and a red, satanic looking medallion hanging from his neck which he was clutching. A fog was covering the bottom half of the room, and a black altar was sitting in the middle of the circled group. When Dean arrived they all turned to face him. He felt Jo come up at his flank, and he bit his lip noticing the demon had already made it out the door.

With a stroke of its hand, the lead occultist flung Dean and Jo's guns to the floor. Dean didn't care though. He charged in with a barrage of punches. The first one hit a very distinct human jaw, sending out a splash of blood and a tortured yell. The man hit the ground, but not before Dean had kicked in another guy's knees and tackled another. In his peripheral Jo seemed to be taking on a few herself. The man he had just tackled struggled feebly to grab out at him, but he grabbed a hold of his hands and with a quick snap he bent back all ten of his fingers, breaking them viciously. The man screamed out, and then wheezed as Dean stomped his stomach into putty.

"Enough of this!" came a cryptic voice. Before Dean could see who, both he and Jo were flung into the wall, pinned telekinetically. Classic bad guy trick, Dean thought. He struggled with his whole body to get out, but it didn't seem to work. Both of them watched as the crowd of hooded figures moved aside for their leader to approach him. Jo gave Dean a desperate look, and Dean just stared darts at the ringleader. "Ah. The fabled, but overestimated Dean Winchester." The man said, removing his hood. A bald, middle aged man came into sight. He had tattoos printed all along the area where hair should be. The man lifted up Dean's chin, looking at his body and flicking out his tongue sexually. "And in such a pretty package. I don't remember asking for it wrapped. Patty really does deserve a raise." He commented. Dean shook with rage, fighting against his bonds with every fiber.

Dean told the witch off, "So. Male witches, huh? Very masculine of you. You know if you didn't want to do this, I hear there's a local cheerleading squad. You might even get away with wearing pom poms."

The witch smiled at Dean, before responding. "Very cute of you Dean, but it seems to me that you're the girl." A bitter smirk coated Dean's face. Frustration built up in him and he wanted nothing more to kick the guys teeth out. "And we prefer warlocks." The man said. At his words, the other cloaked figures dropped their hoods. They were all sporting a similarly tattooed head. There were about nine others that Dean could see.

"So where's your little demon friend going?"

"Oh—don't worry. He's coming for you. This was all a trap you know. No, our master is coming soon."

"You guys are idiots. You can't trust demons!" Jo yelled at them.

All of the injured warlocks had risen to their feet by now, and the ringleader smiled coyly. "I believe in our master wholly. Nothing is greater than his love for us."

"You poor fools." Jo muttered. "He's going to kill you! Idiots!" she continued. Some of the warlocks looked unnerved by what she said. Half of them jumped up after she spoke, because a bestial roar resounded across the grounds and into the building. Dean opened his eyes wide with what he saw. Outside the church he could see the gargoyle from before. It was running, no, sprinting towards them. It had to be at least twenty feet tall!

"Is that the demon!" Dean asked, gritting his teeth.

"That. Is our master." The lead warlock said, bowing down. All the warlocks did the same, but some were quivering. Dean doubled his efforts to escape. A blanket of sweat and anxiety was forming over him.

"Let us out-"Dean began to say, but another roar cut out his voice. Then with the noise of bending, creaking wood, the gargoyle ripped it's way through the front entrance crawling on all fours. It's massive claws tore up the floor as it came upon them, gritting giant stone daggers for teeth. All the occultists shivered with fear, even the leader.

With a quivering voice he spoke, "M..master. We have Dean Winchester. The one you asked for."

The gargoyle reeled back and stood on it's two legs, coming up to it's full height. The horns on its head scraped at the ceiling and it towered above them. It looked straight at Dean, then let out another roar. After that it swept it's tail, crushing two of the occultists. Their bodies bent in broken ways, and they fell dead after skidding across the ground. Before the other could run he crushed them all, but the leader. In the fray, Dean and Jo fell to the ground.

"The spells broken! Come on!" Dean yelled, ducking around the gargoyle, snatching up his gun as he went. The two of them sprinted at full speed to the end of the hall. The strange thing was that Dean didn't sense the gargoyle behind him at all. Jo got to the exit first, but what was left of the door closed shut. Dean pivoted, aiming his gun at the gargoyle while Jo struggled with the door.

"It won't open!" she yelled, pulling at it with all her might. The gargoyle turned around to face them, Dean noticed the lead warlock was on his back now. Odd, he thought.

"Damnit." Dean muttered. He began to open fire on the gargoyle, but the bullets just bounced off his armor. Jo joined him, but they soon ran empty. The two groups just stared each other down, but then the gargoyle began to laugh uproariously.

The gargoyle spoke, his tremendous voice booming across the room, "You fools. You cannot destroy me! I am Adramaelech!"

Dean froze, trying to withhold himself from responding with a smart comment. "Is that a laxative?" he yelled back, smiling.

The gargoyle laughed again, "Dean. The one who killed Azazel. A commendable act."

"Oh, you mean yellow eyes. Yeah I fried that boy up extra crispy. What's it to you?"

"It's everything to me Dean." The gargoyle said, stepping forward. Dean and Jo loaded another clip each. "He was my son after all." The demon finished. At that point his cold, stone eyes lit up with the familiar yellow gleam he had hated all his life. Dean froze, petrified for once. His gun trembled and Jo looked pissed off and defensive.

"Well, sorry you didn't get the memo piss eyes, but we sent him on a family vacation. Guess we'll have to hurry you along too." Jo yelled furiously, unloading more bullets into his face. Dean snapped back into the moment and fired off more too.

"Yeah. I've killed quite a few of you sons of bitches. Yellow eyes, and his black eyed junkie son. You want to take the tour too?" Dean said, smiling deeply.

For the umpteenth time the gargoyle laughed, a smile forming on its stone expression. "This isn't about you Dean. It's always been about Sam. My son Baal and I will be sure to finish Azazels business with your brother. Firstly though, we're going to put you down. You've been quite the sob story in hell for too long. I'm going to put an end to it tonight."

"Well. Glad to hear I'm popular downstairs." Dean remarked, "Although I still don't know how I feel about you having another kid." He continued, stopping to think. "You must have had an ugly wife."

"Enough!" yelled Adramaelech. "Prepare for eternity!" he screamed rushing towards them with surprising speed. Dean and Jo exchanged frightened looks.

"I'm not dying to no yellow eyed dick!" Dean said kicking at the door with all the force he could muster. He felt an incredible pain in his leg and he fell towards the ground, but not before Jo snatched him up in her arms.

"You did it!" Jo said, surprised. Dean noticed that the door had opened a small bit and he congratulated himself with a groan of pain. "I gotcha!" Jo told him as she sprinted into the night and across the lawn. Dean fired off rounds with his gun as the creature started ripping its way out of the church.

"Damnit! Nothing is getting through that armor!" Dean yelled, frustrated. "You know if we had THE grenade launcher that would work!" he taunted.

"Okay you win! Just drop it with the stupid grenade launcher!" she screamed, frustrated. Jo made it to the Impala and threw Dean into the car with one arm, while opening the door with the other. "Woah! I'm strong." She commented.

"Faster!" Dean yelled pointing at the gargoyle which had broken free, and was yelling his name out in a nightmarish way.

"Oh sorry!" Jo said getting in on the other side. "Shit! We should use the colt!"

"Too late! It's in the trunk! Just go!" Dean yelled. Jo hit the gas and they shot out of the trees right as a claw landed where they were. "Damnit!" Dean roared, "What do we do? Think!"

"I don't know!- I'll just drive to the nearest thirty square foot devils trap I can think of." Jo said sarcastically. "Hey Wait! The amulet that warlock was wearing! It was glowing once the gargoyle animated! It must be binding him!" She explained.

"Damn! You're right! That's why he kept the little bugger alive. Where—shit!" Dean yelled. "Where did that yellow eyed bastard go?" Dean scanned the road behind them, but he couldn't see Adramaelech anywhere. "Here let me drive now. No one drives the Impala, but me."

"What? One: We kind of have a situation here, two: you're injured and three: I am you in a way." She said smirking.

"Fine, but this is the last time!" he yelled back, rubbing his hurt leg.

"Dean. Look!" Jo told him, "I think we're in trouble."

Dean looked down the road and saw Adramaelech swoop down from the sky and land a ways down the road. The earth shook when he did and spikes of asphalt broke around him. He bellowed out with a frightening roar and started sprinting towards them. Jo cursed and turned down another street before they collided with it. Adramaelech was catching up though and the car wasn't going to go any faster.

"Okay. You're gonna have to jump onto him." Jo said seriously.

"What!" Dean yelled, baffled.

"Just leap onto him and rip the necklace from that he-witches throat."

"Wait so at first you don't even want me driving the car because of my leg and now you want me to jump off the car onto a giant beast?" Dean asked perplexed.

"Just do it!" she yelled back looking stressed. "We're running out of road!"

"Fine. It's your body." He joked, climbing out the window. His skinny body easily fit through. He found it much harder though to crawl onto the rounded roof while they were driving at full speed. Dean almost slipped a few times, but he managed to get up with a little determination. The wind hit the back of his body and blew hair past his face. It was cold and wet. Dean drew out his gun again and started trying to fire at the warlock, but he was hiding behind Adramaelech's head. The gargoyle roared as clumps of stone fell from his body. "Damnit!" He resigned. "That's it. Time for some high risk maneuvers."

Dean took a moment to prepare himself, but then did a running leap off the hood towards Adramaelech. He barely got under his swinging claw, and landed hard, grabbing onto the gargoyle's protruding horn. With tired movements he scaled onto his head just in time to dodge two more slashes from Adramaelech. Dean noticed that the beast had stopped pursuing Jo and was now trying to kill him. At least that much good would come from this if he died.

"Give me the necklace!" Dean yelled at the trembling man, nestled between Adramaelech's wings. "He killed your friends!" Dean reasoned.

"I have been chosen!" the man spat back. Dean had had enough. He unloaded two rounds into the mans chest and pulled him to the ground, all the while ducking around claw strokes. The man gurgled desperately, but fell dead by the time Dean had grabbed the necklace. He noticed it was a wooden necklace when he grabbed it. Before he could try and snap it, a giant stone hand wrapped around his body, pinning his arms to his chest. He screamed out in pain as it started crushing him. Adramaelech brought Dean up in front of his face and spoke deeply.

"Revenge is finally mine. Azazel's legacy will begin with your brother and end with a burnt planet." He said laughing. "And you will lie bloodied and dead, on some back road."

"Damn." Dean spluttered, coughing up blood. He couldn't believe this was the end for him. He screamed out loudly as Adramaelech began the vice grip that would end his life. He could feel his whole body giving, and the pain was unbearable. At that point he felt his hand snap, along with the necklace inside it. Adramaelech's face contorted and the yellow in his eyes faded. Suddenly he fell towards the ground. Dean managed to dive into a soft part of grass, falling only about five feet and he watched as the massive gargoyle hit the street and shattered into a thousand pieces of stone. After that the roaring noise of demon smoke shot out of the rubble and erupted into the sky.

Dean limply put up a fist of victory, before letting his hand fall onto the sod. His whole body ached unbearably. He didn't think the demon managed to break anything, but his hand though. "Sam." He moaned, letting the amulets broken parts fall out of his shattered hand. The image of the yellow eyes burnt into his skull, igniting anger he thought was gone for good. There were two more of those bastards he realized, letting it sink in.

Just then the soothing sound of the Impala's engine came into his ears, and he saw the car park nearby. Jo ran out and lifted him up, saying things he couldn't hear. Her face was concerned, and her words were soundless. Not five seconds after she had grabbed him up, the darkness overcame him.


	15. You are always by my side

"For the last time! I feel fine!" Dean told Jo. He was sitting out in front of the hospital in a hospital gown. He batted at Jo with his one good arm.

"But you're not! Remember what the doctor said?" Jo yelled back.

"Yeah. Shattered right wrist and hand. Minor internal hemorrhaging." Dean listed looking at Jo. "What? He said minor!"

"Well it's my body."

"Oh. Well, at the moment it's looking like it's mine." He said bitterly, cradling his broken hand in its sling.

"It looks like crap right now. You're riding yourself too hard." Jo answered, sitting by him. Dean looked at her for a moment and then sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry to worry you. I've just been under a lot of crap right now. The whole world decided to fall on me." He said laughing. "The last thing I need is a couple of docs telling me to lie down. What I really want is a beer. Now that'd be the day." Dean said smiling.

"I thought you might say that." Jo said grinning broadly. "Here." She said, producing a beer from a cooler he hadn't noticed she brought over. "Cheers."

Dean snatched it up, looking down at the bottle. "My favorite." He said softly. "Thanks Jo."

Both he and Jo toasted and began to drink. The cold drink felt like heaven. He let out a joyous grunt, fiddling with the bottles lip as he set it down. "I was awake you know. For a little bit of it." Dean said, looking off towards the sunrise. Jo watched it to, keeping a close look on him out of the corner of her eye.

"What?" she asked.

"Everytime I woke up last night you were sitting by my bed." Dean trailed.

"So. Of course I was."

"And you were holding my hand." Dean continued, taking another drink. Jo hung her head and was silent for a while. He had taken a few more sips before she answered.

"You know why." She whispered.

Dean looked at her with a small smile. Her eyes glistened in return. Then he spoke, "When Adramaelech was attacking. All I kept thinking was about Sam." Dean said. Jo nodded. "But really, I was thinking about you too." Dean elaborated. Jo looked at him with wider eyes, her ears perking. "I just continued to hope I could make it through another day. Maybe another week, month, year…. Decade. So I could spend it with you. All I'm saying is that I really care about you, and…"

The two of them looked back towards the sun. Dean shook his head with indecision. "Yeah. I just care about you is all." He said, finishing off his beer. Jo looked at him disappointedly, but then turned her head away shortly after. "Anyways. Why aren't we hunting this witch down?" Dean inquired.

Jo answered quickly, sounding impressive. "Well I've been talking to Bobby off and on while you've been out. Two things. One, he got some info on that witch writing Patty was scrawling. It took him awhile, but he found out they were super old agey. Thousands of years old. Anyways, he threw us out a warning. These warlocks can swing stuff we haven't seen before. Not only that, but they're servants of Baal. They got massive mojo. I also told him about Adramaelech being Azazels father and he said he was probably telling the truth. Bobby said he would call if he found anything else out. Oh, the second thing, right. I traced that call Patty gave us on her phone. It came from a phone nearby, a neighborhood actually."

"Probably just another trap." Dean replied.

"Maybe, but she probably thinks we're dead. No way we should have made it out of there." Jo argued.

"Well. We got no other choice I guess." Dean reasoned. "Let's get on it asap. We can get back in our own skin, ice a witch and then exorcise us some yellow-eyed douche bags." He said, a stoic look stretching over his face. "I'm worried about Sam." Dean admitted. Jo put her hand on his. He looked at her, his heart beating faster. A moment passed where he thought they might kiss, but then Jo spoke up. He sighed inwardly.

"While you get dressed, I think I'm going to try out this shaving thing. There's all these little hairs growing on my face. It's making me go mad!" She joked. "Ready in twenty?"

"Yeah." He murmured in response as she walked back into the hospital. Dean followed her up to the hospital room, threw on his clothes and left in a hurry without even checking out. He had a million thoughts buzzing in his head, and they were starting to make him go crazy. He made it to the car and Jo wasn't there yet. He unlocked the doors, but jumped in the passenger seat because he couldn't drive with his broken hand. Nothing felt worse to him then waiting in the unknown. Who knew where those demons were and what they were doing. They might even be killing Sam as he sat there sitting. At least he had the comfort that the demons needed Sam for some reason. For what, he didn't know. A frown appeared on his face, as he thought about Jo. For the millionth time he looked in the rearview mirror and saw the girl looking back. This morning she was pale, and slightly bruised, but she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Even as he looked into her brown eyes, memories of hers flashed before his eyes. Gripping him, torturing him and inspiring him to fight for her hand and to protect her. He had to save all of them no matter what he did. The girl in the mirror smiled at him and he felt a little better. The scenery outside was quiet and beautiful. He basked in it for a moment before a beeping broke his concentration. Reaching into the glove box, he pulled out Jo's phone. Someone was calling. He scanned outside for her, but Dean couldn't see her. With a shrug he flipped the phone open to see who it was. He froze when he read who it was from. It was a call from Sam.


End file.
